Chaos in LA
by AlexSnape-36
Summary: The war has been won, but not by the side many had hoped. Now with Voldemort in charge of things, he has given Severus the job of controling the muggle world. But what's this? Severus has a chance to wed, and passes it up, for who? And why her! Review!
1. Prolog: Taken Over

Disclaimer: What's not mine isn't mine.

Prolog Taken Over

The city was in Chaos. Alex had only lived here for three years and she was originally from the country, so for her this city _**was**_chaos, but this was different. Something was wrong. Thick, dark smoke is everywhere, and people are running around screaming, attempting to hide in buildings that seem to explode of their own accord. Then again, it could just be her. The drugs that she's put into her body are affecting her. Yes, She was sure of it now because light can't jump out of sticks and knock people down. The drugs weaken her and she collapses.

'_I __guess __my __dad __finally __got __to __me__…__made __me __take __too __much __of __that __mind __poison __crap __that __I'd __sworn __I'd __never __take: __drugs __and __alcohol._' She thinks to herself

Her dad jumps into her mind as she blacks out, wondering the same thing she's been wondering her entire life.

_Have __I __made __him __proud __of __me __yet? __Does __he__…__Can __he __love __me __now?_


	2. Captives

Chapter 1 Captives

When she wakes up she's lying in the back seat of a car. Sitting up, she held her pounding head in her hands groaning from the pain of a hangover no doubt. Looking to the seat behind her, she sees another girl. The other one looked as though she had been crying at some point or another in the not so distant past. She had a dog lying in her lap. Alex turned to the front of the car and studied the driver; it was a man in his 30's or 40's wearing a black hooded robe. There was a silver mask lying in the passenger seat.

"Who are you?" She manages to ask him, despite the soreness in her throat.

"Your escort" He sneers in a not so friendly tone.

"I don't remember asking for a ride." She snaps.

"I don't remember when I agreed to drive around filthy muggles." He returns insultingly.

She didn't know what that word meant, but she could tell that he hadn't meant it in a nice way.

"What? You usually get someone else to drive you around?" She threw the words at him, spitting into the floorboard.

He swerves, knocking her back into the seat. "I'd shut up if I were you." He warns, "You're lucky Snape wants you alive!"

She looked back at the girl behind her, who was now staring at her wide-eyed.

"I'm Alex, but my friends call me A.J." She says introducing herself

"My name's Natalie, but you can call me Nat." Nat's dog looked at Alex cautiously.

"What's your dog's name?"

"Angel." She replies simply. "I've had her since I was 7, but they almost didn't let her come with me. I think she's hurt."

"Who are they, and where are we going?"

"I don't know, but these people are strange. It's like they can do magic or something." She answers, her face clearly showing fear at the mere thought of something like that being possible.

"I don't believe in magic." Alex objects before turning back around as the car turned into what looked like a long driveway. A few seconds later they parked and the driver opened their doors, pulling them out. Alex noticed, as the dog got out of the car, that Angel had a limp, but didn't get to do anything about it because the man put on his silver mask as three other people rushed from the mansion. They were also wearing the black hooded cloaks and strange silver masks. They all quickly whipped out sticks from their pockets and Alex saw a flash of light before she was knocked out.

She woke up on the floor and sat up slowly, still feeling a bit sick. There were two more men, stand on either side of the door, whispering quietly. She wasn't sure whether it was to avoid waking her and Natalie up or because they didn't want them to hear what they were saying. Alex quickly scanned the room and noticed she wasn't alone. Natalie was still unconscious, lying on the floor next to her dog. There was also boy she wasn't familiar with leaning against the wall, his head back and eyes closed. He had soft looking brown hair, short but curly and nice facial features. His arms were wrapped around his knees.

Quickly and quietly, Alex scooted over closer Natalie and checked her pulse, then her dogs. They were still alive. She removed the plaid shirt that was covering her tank top and ripped a strip off. She knew to some extent how to take care of Angel's broken paw. Setting the bone back into place, she tied the strip of cloth tightly around the injured area, ignoring the feeling that she was being watched. After she finished, she looked back over towards the boy. Her eyes met a pair of beautiful blue-grey ones. He seemed to be watching her calculatingly.

"You look like you know what you're doing. What are you, a vet?" He asks quietly.

She shakes her head. She knew what she was. She had resigned herself to it.

"I'm a druggie and a prostitute." She corrects him casually, as though it were a normal career. "I just know a lot about dogs."

"I'm Caleb."

"A.J." She replies, taking another quick look around "Where are we?"

"The city's capital building. Apparently we've been kidnapped by terrorists with a new kind of weapon." He replies.

The only answer she can give him is a frown before they were both startled by a loud crash outside the room. The two men who were guarding the door rushed out.

Natalie stirs and Alex helps her sit up. Nat starts to question her, but Alex silences her with a glare and a shake of her head. If she listened hard she could hear the men outside talking to another one who sounded as though he was their leader.

"Do you have her?" He demands.

"She and the other two are in the room behind us." Another voice replies in a haughtily defiant tone, "Never thought you'd be a muggle lover, '_sir'_ "

"I would watch myself if I were you." The leader replied, a threat in his voice.

A man swept past the guards and into the room, taking off his mask and cloak. Alex studied him but kept her mouth shut. His ebony hair was wild and fell almost to his shoulders, framing his guarded onyx eyes. A hooked nose graced his stern features. She's immediately mesmerized by him. He gracefully throws his cloak on the back of a chair and hands his mask to a guard. His clothes were also completely black.

"Yes" He murmurs, not taking his eyes off of Alex. "Leave us." He ordered.

The other men leave the room, slamming the door behind them.

"You are my wife." He tells Alex in a commanding voice.

She shakes her head "You mistake me for someone else." she replies.

"No." he says stiffly, "You. And you will remain my wife. Fulfill your duties and you will lead a fairly easy life... Fail to please me…and, well….I'll leave that up to your imagination." He answered coldly.

"You'll find that I don't have too much of an imagination." She answers, using the same tone of voice he used towards her.

Disregarding her comment, he turned towards Caleb and Nat. "You two are her servants. You are to do what she says, when she says it. Understood?"

"Why should we listen to you?" Caleb asks angrily.

"Because if you don't you will no longer be of any use to me and therein will be given to my fellow death-eaters who will most likely to kill you." He answers coldly, turning back to Alex. "Any questions."

"Yeah, actually, I have one." She says innocently.

He raises an eyebrow.

"Are you always such a bastard or is this a special night for you to be an ass to people?" She asks, sarcasm filling her voice.

He points his stick at her and she screams as she's flung into the air and hung upside down. He jerks his stick and she falls in a heap to the floor.

"What is this?" She demands, quickly scrambling to her feet and backing away from him.

"My wand, of course."

Now it was her time to raise her eyebrows.

His hand falls to his side as he began explain. "I'm a wizard, the most trusted servant of Lord Voldemort."

"Yeah, and I'm the swamp monster from the black lagoon. I stopped believing in magic along time ago." She snaps sarcastically.

"And why is that?" He asked curiously.

"I'll let you know when it becomes your business." She replies, throwing her words at him.

He turns away from her and calls the others back in.

"And I suppose they're 'wizards' too?" She asks mockingly.

"Of course. I only use filthy muggles for pleasure." He returns in the same tone, while turning to the 'wizards'. "Take them to their rooms." He orders.

"The girl?" One of them asks

"Yes, her too." He answers waving away the question.

They nod and one of them grabs Alex's arm. She jerks out of his grasp and storms out of the room on her own. The man followed her closely and directed her to her room. She walks in and slams the door in their faces before throwing herself on the bed. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Rumors Underground

Chapter 2 Rumors underground

"Good evening Molly." Mr. Weasley greeted his wife

"Good evening Arthur." Mrs. Weasley replies sullenly.

Living in an underground tavern really takes a lot out of her. Molly had been constantly tired and hopeless.

"Hello mum." The twins said simultaneously. They had been out for food and seemed top have brought back a weeks worth.

"Where do you get all of this without getting caught?" Lupin asked them.

"This is muggle food. They have donators that help homeless people in a place called America." Hermione answers.

"Where'd you learn that?" Ginny asked.

"Muggle studies," Hermione answers simply.

Hermione and Ginny had been able to continue their studies as most of the Hogwarts Professors were still alive. They all lived together. Five of them usually left the tavern each night to go for supplies.

"We're back." Tonks announced while walking in with McGonagall. Their last outing had been to search for blankets and listen to any news they could find. "We've heard some very interesting rumors that we want to check into." Tonks informs them, sitting down her load.

Molly glances at her wearily before asking "What is it."

"Well…." Minerva starts, "Harry and Ron may still be alive."


	4. Shopping

Chapter 3 Shopping

Alex wakes up lying on her stomach. It's pitch black in the room and she can't see much. Turning over onto her side, she almost fall back to sleep before the door creaks open. Startled, she quickly sits up and catches sight of the figure of a man walking into the room. It's too dark for her to make out his features, but her instincts were sending warning bells through her head.

Her heart pounds in her chest as she attempts to scoot up against the headboard, away from him. He grabs her ankles and pulls her back down towards him. She attempts to twist away and scream as he tries to cut off her pants with a knife. He quickly covers her mouth with his hand, using his body to hold her down.

"Be still." He hisses, holding a knife against her throat with his other hand. "If you scream again, I will kill you."

She instantly stops moving, tears running down into her hair as her pants suddenly vanish and reappear on the floor next to the bed, ruined. He shoves himself into her, grunting in pleasure.

It doesn't take him long to finish and with a wave of his stick thing his clothes reappear on him and he strides out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Pressing herself into a corner, Alex cries herself to sleep.

She wakes up late the next morning without anything other than a sheet over her lower half. Part of the sheet was bloodstained where he had actually cut her.

Someone knocks on the door, and it opens before she can reply. Natalie enters the room with a tray of food. She sits it on a side table as the man who claimed he was a wizard strides in behind her.

"I thought I told you to get rid of that mutt!" He snarls at her.

"Angel is my friend! I'm not getting rid of her!" Nat cries.

"Either get rid of it, or I'll kill it!" He demands threateningly.

Nat sends Alex a pleading glance.

"Give her to me!" Alex demands boldly. "I love dogs, and as my husband it's your job to give me what I want."

He glares at her furiously, but after a moment he waves his 'wand' and the dog flies at her, landing on the bed next to her.

"The thing is yours. Keep it out of my way. Hurry up and get out of bed. We're going somewhere." He snaps.

"I can't get out of bed. You ruined my pants last night, remember?" She sneers angrily.

"I've never touched any of your clothes!" He objects defensively.

Alex glares at him.

"Where are they?" He demands.

She gestures to the floor beside the bed.

He waves his wand at them, muttering something under his breath. The pants mend themselves before flying at her. She catches them before they hit her chest.

"What did you do, cut yourself?" He snarls, catching sight of the blood on the sheet.

"You know very well what happened!" She throws back impatiently.

They glare at each other for a moment before he turns around and walks back towards the door.

"To prevent any further difficulties of this nature, you will sleep in my chambers until you can learn to behave yourself properly." He informs her unquestioningly before walking out the door.

Nat throws her arms around Alex and the dog. "Thank you so much!" She whispers.

"You're welcome." She replies as Nat steps back.

"What did he do to you?" She asks, studying her.

Alex refuses to meet her gaze.

"Where's Caleb?" She questions, refusing to answer her.

"Downstairs," Nat answers simply.

"You should probably get back to him. I'll be fine. You two just stick together…" Alex advises, "at least until we know for sure what they intend to do with us."

"We will," She agrees, walking back towards the door, "Be careful."

Alex quickly gets dressed and eats before heading downstairs. The 'wizard' is down there waiting for her. He glances at one of his 'deatheaters'. The 'deatheater' nods and walks out the door. There was another one standing on the other side of the room with Nat and Caleb. This one had long, stringy red hair, a pale, sickly white face, cold brown eyes, and a sharp pointed nose. He glares at her, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She quickly turns away, afraid to meet his gaze…not that she would ever admit that.

Her 'husband' grabs her arm and leads her outside where a carriage, drawn by ugly looking horses with wings, was waiting.

"What are they?" She asks him as she steps into the carriage.

He stares at her for a moment before questioning, "You can see them?"

"Of course I can see them," She snaps, "I'm not blind."

"Who did you watch die?" He asks curiously.

"Give me a reason to answer that." She demands defensively.

He looks away. "Only people who have watched someone die can see them. They're called thestrals."

The carriage jolts and they begin to move. She leans back and closes her eyes, remembering.

_**Flashback:**_

"_What__the__hell__do__you__think__you're__doing?"__Dad__yells,__kicking__her__in__the__ribs.__Alex__was__lying__sprawled__out__on__the__floor__where__she__had__fallen__when__he__had__hit__her._

"_He's__my__friend!"__She__objects._

"_Oh,__so__you're__going__to__trade__your__own__father__for__a__fucking__friend,__are__you?"__He__snarls._

_He was drunk again for the fifth time that week and furious that Alex had told her best friend, secretly her boyfriend, about his drinking problem._

"_What__father?"__She__cries,__"All__you've__ever__done__is__hurt__me!__You__took__me__away__from__everything__I__knew!__Everything__I__loved!__What__kind__of__father__does__that?'_

"_Fine!"__He__snarls,__"If__you__want__to__be__that__way__…__If__I'm__such__a__terrible__person__…__"_

_He picks up his gun and presses it to his temple._

"_What__are__you__doing?"__She__demands,__shocked._

_He pulled the trigger._

_Alex screamed._

_**Present:**_

The carriage jolts again as they come to a stop, pulling her back into the present.

"Where are we?" She asks.

"A pet shop," He answers simply, taking her arm and pulling her out of the carriage. "You apparently like animals. One isn't enough for the wife of a lord…I'm taking you shopping today. Anything you want is yours."

"Why?" She asks.

"I told you that you'd lead a fair life."

"Anything I want?" She asks suspiciously, "What's the catch?"

"AS long as there aren't any escape attempts, we shouldn't have a problem." He answers, "Now go in and hurry up. I'd rather not spend the entire day in this one shop."

She hesitates for a moment before starting into the shop by herself. He stood on the other side of the door, positioned so that he could watch her and have a decent view of the surrounding area. She suddenly had the urge to call his bluff. She starts back towards him and he raises an eyebrow at her as she comes out empty handed.

"Didn't see anything you liked?" He questions.

"I want all of them." She answers simply.

His eyes widen for a moment, and she can see the tension in him. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before raising his 'wand' and muttering something under his breath. A bright blue light jumps out of the wand and starts off in the direction of where he had taken up residence. "Very well. I will send a few of my deatheaters back to get them for you. They won't all fit in our carriage, but they will be waiting for you when we get home. If this is how you are with muggle things I'm eager to see how you will take to the Wizarding world."

"What does muggle mean?" She questions.

"Non-magical people," He answers simply.

"And you still think you're a wizard?" She pushes mockingly.

"What do I have to do to prove it to you?" He questions exasperatedly.

"I would think that wizards were above raping people." She mutters.

"I never entered that room before this morning. I have had about enough of your faulty accusations." He replies angrily, shoving her back into the carriage.

She quickly gets in and positions herself as far away from him as possible, refusing to meet his gaze. It's another few minutes before she dares to speak to him again.

"Doesn't a wife at least have the right to know her husband's name?" She asks.

"Did they not already tell you my name?" He frowns.

"Would I ask for it if I already knew it?" Alex points out.

He studies her.

"My name is Severus Snape, Alex." He informs her, surprising her by using her name.

"How do you know my name?" She questions.

"I've watched you." He replies impatiently, "While I was looking for a proper bride."

I look back out the window and notice a convenience store. I turn back to him. "Anything I want?"

"Where do you want to go," He asks.

"A quick stop and then the mall," She answers.

He leans out the window and says something to the thestrals. A moment later they've stopped at the convenient store. She tries to open the door but finds it locked. Anger rises up inside of her again. The man was so frustrating.

Snape gets out and walks around to her side of the carriage. He opens the door and she storms off towards the store without bothering to wait for him. He follows her silently. Alex glances at the man behind the counter, who was watching them with fear obvious on his face. At the far side of the store, she picks up two twenty four packs of beer and takes it to the counter. She smiles at the man and offers him her hand.

"Hi, I'm A. J." Alex introduces herself with a hint of seduction in her voice.

Severus glares at him and jerks her hand back. "She's mine," He snarls, picking up the drinks. He jerks his head towards the door, motioning for her to go out in front of him so that he could watch her. He carries the beer back to the carriage and shoves them in after her before climbing back in himself.

She immediately opens a can and downs half of it before they even get going again.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asks, sarcasm in his voice.

"Greatly," She sneers at him.

He glares at her before continuing, "You are my wife. You will behave accordingly or you will not be permitted into the outside world."

"Yes, Master," She replies, finishing off the toxic drink and opening another.

He takes it from her and drinks it himself. "You don't need another."

She crosses her arms stubbornly and glares out the window.

_**Flashback:**_

"_You're__dad__killed__himself__because__of__me!"__Daniel__yelled._

"_You__broke__up__with__me__because__of__him?"__She__asks__in__shock,__tears__running__down__her__face._

"_I'm__no__longer__interested__in__any__sort__of__relationship__with__you.__I'm__sorry,__Ali.__I__can't__live__with__this."__He__replies__softly._

_Alex storms out the door, slamming it behind her as what was left of her life fell to pieces around her. She runs down the stairs and out of the apartment building, heading towards an alley that she had passed a few minutes earlier. She turns the corner and nearly runs head first into the man who had offered her the drugs._

"_I__don't__have__any__money,__but__I__want__the__merchandise."__She__tells__him,__quickly__wiping__away__tears._

"_I'm__sure__we'll__be__able__to__work__something__out.__One__decent__striptease__and__you're__part__of__the__family."__He__answers,__smiling._

_Family. That's what she wanted. This was the way to get it. An hour later and she was high for the first time, pole dancing to make money for her new family._

_**Present:**_

"What happened to you?" Severus asks, pulling her back to reality.

She frowns in confusion.

"It's called ligillimens." He explains, "It's a magical ability that allows me to see the memories of any person I choose, or speak telepathically. Then again…you don't believe in magic."

She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself before asking, "what did you see?'

"You were using your body to please men in exchange for money and some strange substance." He answers honestly.

"The other substances are drugs. It's kind of like being drunk, only its effects are more instantaneous and it takes you away from reality…and it kills you faster." She explains.

"You don't seem the type to prostitute yourself." He points out questioningly.

Alex looks away from him, unwilling to meet his gaze. "Why should I explain myself to you?"

"You lost everything so you fled into the arms of the only other people that would take you in, despite the cost of having to be someone you're not. Is that it?" He guesses confidently.

"No," She snaps, "At the cost of living the life I deserve."

"And what if I think you deserve more?" He questions softly.

"Then you really are as big of a fool as I first assumed you were. Once again, why should I explain myself to you?" She returns roughly.

Severus takes out his wand and points it at her door. There's a flash of light and it swings open. She stares at him questioningly.

"Why should I explain myself to you?" He uses her question against her.

He follows her into the mall and through nearly every shop, waiting patiently as she takes her time. Kay's Jewelry was the last store in the mall that she hadn't stopped to look at.

A sapphire and emerald necklace catches her eye and she takes a step closer to the clear glass counters. The gems were set in a smooth, heart shaped onyx stone and hung from a white gold chain. He leans against the glass and studies her.

"Do you wan it?" He asks.

She glances at the price. Naturally, it costs hundreds of dollars. "No," She murmurs. "I refuse to steal something so expensive."

He moves to the other side of the counter and pulls out a small velvet box with a ring in it. It was a small sapphire stone set in white gold.

"Give me your hand," He orders.

She studies him hesitantly before obeying. He takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

"Think of it as a wedding present." He murmurs.

"I'm not married," She counters coldly, taking the ring off and throwing it at him.

She walks back to the carriage in front of him, and they starts back towards his residence. He doesn't speak to her for the rest of the trip, and she falls asleep.


	5. Another Night

Chapter 4 Another Night

Alex wakes up in a darkened room and climbs out of the unfamiliar bed, walking quietly to the nearby window and pulling the curtains aside so she can look out. The sun is going down. After a few moments, her eyes adjust and she starts looking for a light switch. There was one to the left of the door. Light floods the room as she flips it on and studies her surroundings. Now she's positive that this isn't the room she slept in last night.

There's a king sized black canopy bed covered in black and dark green quilts and pillows. The dark green walls are lined with a silver border and the curtains she had pulled aside a moment ago were black. A black marble dresser stood a few feet away from the door, and there's a small couch next to the walk in closet.

"Like my room?" Severus asks, startling her. She quickly backs up away from him.

"How did you get in so quietly?" She demands defensively.

"The door is sound proof in more ways than one. As is the rest of my room," He answers simply.

"How long have I been asleep?" She questions, moving away from the bed and towards the window.

He studies her, a knowing look in his eyes. "Five, maybe six hours…You do realize that if I wanted you, it wouldn't matter where I took you? The floor is clean…nor would I mind doing it standing up, with you pressed against the wall…or the window. I wouldn't need the bed. So repositioning yourself away from it is pointless."

She quickly backs away from him and he smirks.

"Dinner is ready," He informs her, motioning for her to follow him out of the room.

She slowly starts off after him, careful to keep her distance. Out in the hall he grabs her arm, stopping her. "You'd better get used to me. You're sleeping in my room from now on." He warns.

She pulls out of his grasp, watching him warily as he goes downstairs. When he's out of sight she leans against the wall, struggling to control her fear and her temper at the same time. After regaining her composure, she follows him. One of the deatheaters escorts her to the dining room and seats her next to Severus. Their gazes meet for a moment, but he looks away just as she realizes there was worry in his eyes. She studies him for a moment, but his face remains expressionless.

She takes her time eating, letting him finish before she does. He leans back in his chair, staring at her with a calculating look on his face. She avoids his gaze.

"Do you want something more to drink?" He asks, noticing her empty cup.

She shakes her head and pushes her plate away. "Give the rest of it to the dogs." She requests.

The red haired man she had seen that morning grabs the plates with a sneer on his face. "We don't waste food on bloody animals!" He snarls.

Her face pales and she suddenly feels very cold. His voice sounds familiar, but she can't place it.

"I didn't ask you to eat it. I said to give it to the dogs." She sneers in return, implying that he was the 'bloody animal'.

"Why you little-" He starts, raising his hand as if to hit her.

Severus jumps out of his seat and moves to stand between her and the other man, grabbing his wrist in a tight grasp. "You will do as she says. The food goes to the dogs."

The man glares daggers at him and jerks his wrist free, but nods in compliance.

"Oh, and Cole, one other thing," Severus continues smoothly, his voice dripping with poison, "The next time you raise your hand to her…it will be the last thing you ever do."

Cole opens his mouth as though he wanted to object, but Severus makes a clicking sound with his tongue and Cole quickly turns around and takes the plates through a nearby door.

"Come," Severus orders, taking her arm.

She lets him pull her to her feet, still avoiding his gaze. He walks her back upstairs and into his room, closing the door behind them before taking off his cloak. She remains between the dresser and the door, watching him warily. He pauses, studying her for a moment before stripping down to his pants. She couldn't help but appreciate his smooth chest. If she were being honest with herself she would admit that she was attracted to him.

"You truly believe that I was in your room last night, don't you?" He says as he moves towards her, sounding rather surprised.

Her breath quickens out of a mixture of fear and her reluctant attraction to him, and she rests her hand on the dresser, pressing herself back against the wall.

"Show me," He requests with surprising gentleness.

"How?" She asks.

He stops in front of her and cups her chin with his hand, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Hold my gaze," He whispers.

"What are you doing?" She questions nervously.

"Ligillimens," He answers simply.

He mutters something under his breath and memories come to the front of her mind, blocking out everything else. The rape came forward quickly. It's as though she's watching it rather than it happening to her. After a moment it flashes away. Severus pulls away and she can see again. He turns his back to her, pushing his fingers through his hair.

"Damnations," He curses.

There was an uncomfortable silence before he turned back to her. "That wasn't me." He insists.

"Prove it," She snaps in disbelief, "Then again, why bother? After all, you only use filthy muggles for pleasure."

He takes a step back towards her angrily. "Perhaps," He snarls, "but I'm not the sort of man who would rape a helpless young woman who can't even see who she's up against!"

Her fear shows in her eyes and he quickly backs a short distance away from hr, giving her space to breath.

He waves his wand at the couch and a pillow and blanket appear neatly folded in the middle of it.

"You will be sleeping on the bed," He says stiffly, "Your clothes are in my closet. I probably won't be here when you wake up."

She nervously watches him as he turns the couch into a temporary bed and slips into it, pulling the blanket up over him and turning his back to her without another word.

She walks quietly to the closet and sorts through its contents. A pretty blue night gown catches her eye and she pulls it out and tries it on. It fit perfectly. She turns out the lights and climbs into the bed, her thoughts stuck on the courtesy he's shown her by letting her have the bed and him sleeping on the couch. It was getting more and more difficult to believe he'd been the one to hurt her. Then again, he would probably do anything to gain her trust and have the chance to stab her in the back. It wouldn't be the first time someone did that to her.

Her life hadn't always been like that. She used to believe in magic. It used to be a big part of her life. She can still remember the way her grandmother's house smelled during the holidays. No matter how much she cleaned it, she was always complaining about how dirty it was. Her husband, Alex's grandfather, had been an artist. He drew and painted, and made baskets, among other things. He used to sell them when he was young, and when Alex was little he gave her painting lessons. Her grandmother had curly light brown hair, and her grandfather had long silver hair. They were perfect for each other. They did everything together. Alex used to hope she would be able to find a love like theirs.

…Her grandmother had a heart attack and died when Alex was eighteen. Grandpa couldn't live without her. He fell apart and died a few months later, and after they were gone everything else fell apart, too. Alex's little brother joined the army and was killed in combat. Her older brother, along with his wife and six year old daughter, were killed in a car wreck.

Her mother moved them to L.A. and found herself a new family, so Alex went to live with her dad, whom she hadn't seen in years. Turns out, during the time she was with her mom, her dad had turned into an abusive drunk. Watching him kill himself was the last straw. It broke her, and he took her faith with him. She stopped believing in anything other than that the toxic chemicals she got from her drug dealing foster family would eventually kill her…and that she looked forward to it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the deatheaters killed her…

That was her last thought before she fell asleep. She dreamt of Jason's daughter, Kaitie. The way her face looked before she died. Her arms around Aslan, Alex's three year old akita who died just before she moved in with her father.

Then Aslan was gone.

Kaitie looked frantic, as though she was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't hear her.

And then the crash…and the funeral.

She's walking out of the pew and towards the coffin. She sees her face again. This time from after the accident, when she had to identify the body. Katie had a bruised face, a busted lip, and dark scars that wouldn't have gone away even if she had survived.

Alex feels like she's drowning in guilt as she reaches down to stroke her face. Her goddaughter was dead and she still alive. It should have been the other way around.

Kaitie's eyes fly open, startling her. Alex stumbles back away from Kaitie as Kaitie sits up and looks at her. Kaitie's neck made a cracking noise as she turned her head. The crash had broken her neck.

She climbs out of the coffin and walks towards Alex.

"Why didn't you help me?" She asks accusingly, her neck making a cracking sound as her head gives a twitch.

Alex shakes her head and backs away from her, fear gripping her. "I-"

"You should have driven us!" Kaitie screeches, cutting her off as her neck emits a cracking noise again, "You said you would but you didn't!"

Alex tries to turn and flee, but she can't move. Her feet are stuck to the floor.

"You killed me, A.J.!" Kaitie holds up her hands and for the first time Alex notices that Kaitie was holding a gun. She aims it at her.

"Kaitie! No! Kaitie, please!"

"It's your turn now," She giggles, her neck cracking again.

Alex wakes up in a cold sweat, screaming, tears running down her face.


	6. I Have A Plan

Chapter 5 I Have a Plan

"What do you mean they may still be alive?" Mrs. Weasley asks hopefully.

"We overheard Lucius Malfoy bragging about putting an enchantment over Harry and how everything thinks he's dead, but really he's just hidden somewhere near the Dark Lord." Tonks explains.

"Who was he talking to?" Mr. Weasley questions.

"His son, Draco," McGonagall answers, "There is a chance that Mr. Weasley could be with Harry. Looking into it will be dangerous, but if the rumors are true it might be worth it."

"And if they aren't?' Flitwick asks, picking up a piece of bread.

"Then we will be none the worse for it, as long as we don't get caught." Mrs. Weasley says, wanting nothing more than to hold her son again. "We should try it."

"We also heard that you-know-who has taken over parts of the muggle world, and that he's put Snape in charge of one of the larger cities. Lucius finds it amusing." Tonks continues, "In the mean time, if we are going to see if the rumors are true, how exactly are we going to do it?"

Everyone went silent, looking at each other.

Sirius glanced at the twins and did a double take before saying, "I have a plan"

He grabbed an apple and bit into it before he started to explain.


	7. The Rapist

Chapter 6 The Rapist

Alex is sitting up. Someone turned the lights on. She felt two strong arms around her, holding her against a warm body.

"Shhh," He whispers, "It's alright. It was only a dream."

Not realizing what she's doing, she leans into him, resting her head against his shoulder. His arms tighten around her, waking her up a little more. Enough to make her realize who was holding her. She quickly pushes herself out of his grip and jumps off the bed, studying him.

He stands up and folds his arms over his chest. "You still don't trust me." He mutters.

"I don't have a reason to trust you. Only several reasons not to," She counters.

"How about the fact that I've never harmed you?" He offers irritably.

"You-" She begins, accusation in her voice.

"I never raped you!" He snaps.

"Who then?" She snarls, "Who else would have?"

"One of my deatheaters," He answers instantly, "I may be in charge of this little group of them, but I'm not the worst of them. Trust me on that."

"I think it would be a bad idea to trust a lunatic that thinks kidnapping me makes me his wife." She sneers.

"I'll find out who did it tomorrow," He snaps angrily, forcing himself to ignore that comment.

"Tomorrow…" She turns around and looks at the window. The curtain was blocking her view.

"Yes," He answers simply, "Tomorrow. It's still four hours until sunrise."

"How will you know that they're not lying to you?" She points out.

"The same way I know you're not." He replies curtly.

"How do I know you're not lying when you said it wasn't you?" She pushes.

"You don't." He murmurs, suddenly tired. He sits down on the bed and rubs his eyes.

After a moment, she sits down next to him. He looks at her in surprise, but quickly wipes the expression off of his face.

"You woke up screaming. Do you want to tell me what your dream was about?" He questions, moving to lean back against the pillows and head board.

She starts to tell him it isn't any of his business, but hesitates. He looked exhausted, and something about it touched a part of her that had gone dormant after watching her father die. The dormant part of her stirred, and pointed out that her kidnapper was gorgeous and seemed to want to listen to her. Against her better judgment, she felt the urge to talk to him.

"I caused the death of my goddaughter." she answers finally.

He frowns, and she looks down at the quilt, staring at it without really seeing it. "It's my fault Katie died."

"How far can I get before you turn hostile again?" He questions.

She studies him…his deep onyx eyes, and remembers how he'd comforted her when she first woke up. She can feel him looking into her thoughts. He holds out his hand towards her.

"Come," He says simply.

"Is that a command?" She asks mockingly.

"No, it's a request…an offer which you may accept or reject as you please." He replies, putting a firm gentleness into his tone of voice.

She hesitates before cautiously moving up into his embrace and relaxing against him.

"Now tell me what happened." He requests. "Who is Katie?"

"When I was younger I had a cousin who lived with my family. He wasn't biologically a brother, but he might as well have been called one. Katie was his daughter. My goddaughter."

"What happened to her?" He asks, encouraging her to continue as she drifts off into a memory.

"She died in a car crash. So did her parents." She answers softly. He tightened his grip on her, and she knew he could hear the sadness in her voice even though she was trying not to show it on her face.

"I don't see how you could blame yourself for that." He replies, protectiveness in his voice.

"They were out running errands for me. I was supposed to be with them, but I had stayed up too late the night before and wanted to spend the day in bed. My cousin agreed to do the errands for me since his wife needed to run similar errands. They were hit by a drunk driver." She explains bitterly, "I should have been out running my own errands. I shouldn't have had them do it. I should be dead…not them. Not Katie."

"Is that what your dream was about? The wreck?" He questions.

"No…I dreamt about her funeral. Then she sat up, and she was mad at me for letting her die. He wanted to kill me." She answers a little defensively, "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Very well," He agrees as though he had been expecting her to do something like that. He gets up off of the bed before adding, "Sleep well."

He turns out the lights and returns to the couch as she lies back in the bed. She turns her back to him, self conscious about how much she had told him.

An hour later she was about to drift off to sleep again when the door opened, bringing her back to being fully alert. She sits up slowly and looks towards the couch. Severus seemed to be asleep. The light out in the hallway shed only enough light for her to tell that it was a man standing in the doorway. He stares at her for a moment before disappearing back out into the hallway. She climbs silently out of bed and make her way to the door, cracking it open just enough for her to peek out. She wanted to see whether or not he had left.

The man Severus had called Cole was standing several feet away from her, looking into another room. He catches sight of her and quietly shuts the door of the room he had looking into. He makes his way over to her and reaches out to grab her. She quickly backs up and slams into something hard. She whirls around. Severus grabs her hand and forces her to turn back and face Cole. He pulls her back into him, slipping his arm around her waist.

"Did you need something Cole?" He questions, "Or were you sticking you nose into my rooms out of pure curiosity?"

"No, Sir. Just making my rounds." Cole sneers, "As ordered."

"Do you want her?" Severus offers, "I haven't had her myself, but I'm certain she would warm a wizards bed nicely."

She struggles against him, feeling betrayed and foolish for opening herself up to him like she had earlier. It had been a mistake. All men were the same. They would do anything to get in her pants…and Severus was just another one.

"Be still," He demands sharply.

She reluctantly obeys, afraid of what he would do if she didn't.

"You mean you haven't fucked her?" Cole asks curiously.

"Personally, I prefer my women a willing participant. I find it makes the experience more pleasurable…but that's never stopped you has it?" Snape points out, trying to tempt him.

"Are you offering, Sir?" Cole asks, watching Severus run his fingers down the side of her face.

"Such soft skin…can't you just imagine holding her pinned to the bed…being inside of her?"

Her heart races fearfully and Cole's eyes light up in approval.

"Aye, my Lord. She's a nice little fuck." He sneers.

"She is, is she? I suppose you'd know all able what sort of a fuck she is, wouldn't you?"

The smile disappears from Cole's face. "Are you implying that I've taken your wife without your consent?" he asks nervously.

"I'm implying nothing of the sort…" Severus answers smoothly, "You aren't exactly inexperienced, are you?"

"You know better, my Lord." Cole replies, his voice shaking in obvious desire.

"You seem a bit jittery. Is something wrong?" Severus asks.

"Of course not, Sir."

"Good," Severus replies, "Now one last time. Would you like to have her to keep you company tonight?"

Her heart pounds in her chest and she start struggling again. Not Cole…anyone but Cole…Just the sight of him made an unpleasant shudder run up her spine.

"Be still!" Severus commands again, a warning in his voice.

"Severus, please!" She begs.

"You see, Cole. She can't wait for you to take her." Severus tempts him, seemingly mistaking her disruption for eagerness.

"I want her," Cole agrees finally.

Severus shoves her at Cole and Cole catches her, not bothering to be gentle about it.

"Take her downstairs to the kitchens and help yourself to the firewhiskey in the cabinet closest to the door. You may have the one closest to the wall. Do not touch any of the others. You may pleasure yourself while looking at her, but don't sleep with her." Severus instructs.

"No sex?" Cole asks, surprised and angry.

"No sex," Severus agrees, a warning in his voice. ""She is my wife, after all."

"In your dreams, bastard." Cole mutters, barely audibly as he bows.

"Did you say something?" Severus demands.

"Of course not, my Lord," Cole replies innocently.

"Then go. You have until sunrise to get her back here." Severus orders.

Cole smiles wickedly, grabbing her and pulling her out of the room. A sharp pain run through her scalp as he grabs a fist full of her hair and uses it to pull her down the stairs and into the kitchens. He roughly throws her against the wall and she stumbles into it, clutching her head.

He opens a cabinet and grabs the closest bottle to the wall, as Severus had instructed, and pours himself a glass of the contents.

"No sex! He wishes!" Cole mutters, downing the entire glass and pouring himself another.

She makes a run for the door while he was distracted. Just as she opened it, Cole grabs his wand and the door slams shut in her face, making her stumble back. She heard the door lock on its own and her heart skipped a beat. These people could to anything they wanted to anything they pleased without even making physical contact.

"No, no, love. We're limited on our time. We must get started!" Cole says, sickeningly sweet.

She reluctantly turns back to face him, struggling not to let her fear show on her face. He finishes off his drink before rushing at her, knocking her to the floor. She hits her head hard and finds herself unable to struggle. She seems to be glued to the floor even without him holding her down. And then she remembers. His scent. His voice. It was him who raped her…not Severus. And Severus had just handed her over to him without so much as an objection. She silently cursed at herself for making such a big mistake.

"Caleb! Natalie!" She screams, desperate for help as he unfastens his pants and pushes them half way down his legs. He silences her with his wand and forces her night gown up to her waist, pulling her legs apart and rubbing her center with his fingers.

The door flies open and he freezes as Severus walks in, fully dressed.

"Thank you for finishing the drink. The veritaserum it was laced with shall give me the proof I need to have you removed from my home. I also believe that it would be in your best interest to willingly remove yourself from _my wife_, as your current position on top of her is reason enough for me to kill you." Severus advises menacingly, his voice laced with poison.

Cole silently obeys, a scowl on his face.

Severus points his wand at her and releases her from the spells Cole had put on her. She quickly stands up, making sure her nightgown covers all of her.

"Get the proof I need and personally deliver it, and him, to the Dark Lord." Severus demands. One of the deatheaters that had followed him in nods and moves towards Cole, waving his wand and binding Cole's hands behind his back.

Severus picks Alex up, one hand beneath her knees and the other behind her back. He carries her out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Put me down!" She snarls, kicking her feet.

He nearly drops her, but catches her enough to help her regain her balance.

"How could you offer me up like that?" She yells at him, "Some husband you are!"

"Oh, so I'm your husband now?" He asks mockingly.

"You claim to be!" She throws at him.

"And you refuse me!" He counters.

"And this is proof that I'm right! A husband wouldn't just throw his wife to a rapist like that!" She yells back.

"Did you or did you not want to catch him?" Severus demands.

"I didn't want to be victimized by him again!" She snaps, nursing her hurt feelings and fear more than the fact that she was nearly raped again. "He could have done it again. I could be pregnant."

"I wouldn't have let him hurt you," He replies quietly. "I wouldn't have allowed it. He didn't have a chance to rape you so you aren't with child."

"I was raped before," She points out.

"You are not with child." He insists.

"How can you be sure?" She demands.

"Cole cannot have children. He's infertile." He informs her, watching her closely.

She lets out a sigh of relief and he takes her by the waist, pulling her into him. To her surprise, he buries his face in the hair around her neck.

"The next time you call me your husband," He murmurs huskily, "You will be moaning my name in pleasure."

She puts her hands on his chest and pushes him away…much less forcefully and defensively than she would have earlier. He smirks, realizing how quickly he was making progress.

"I would never have let him hurt you," He assures her, offering her his arm. "Come to bed."

She holds his gaze for a moment before taking his arm and following him back up the stairs to his rooms.

She fell asleep leaning against him on the couch, his arm around her waist.


	8. Magic

Chapter 8 Magic

Alex sat up sleepily and climbed out of bed. It had been two and a half months since Cole had been sent away. Much to her chagrin, she wasn't able to sleep by herself after that, and after those first few nights of sleeping in her kidnapper's embrace, she found herself unable to sleep away from the warmth of his body. It had been years since the last time she had fallen asleep and woken up next to the same person. It was addictive.

For the past week she had been attempting to sleep in the bed by herself, resulting in shadows under her eyes and an obvious inability to think straight. There had been a few times when she had put her cloths on backwards or inside out.

She stood up from the bed and managed to put her clothes on right this time. She would have given almost anything for a little alcohol right then. Severus had taken the beer, telling her that she drank too much. After that she wasn't even able to drink herself to sleep.

She leaves the room and makes her way downstairs, sitting down at the breakfast table next to Severus. He glanced at her with a worried expression on his face. A moment later one of the deatheaters sat a bowl of food on the edge of the table rather than directly in front of her. She pulls it in front of her and picks up a spoon.

"Alex, stop!" Severus orders suddenly, just as she stuck the spoon into the bowl. "That's for angel. Yours is on its way."

Severus pushes the bowl back towards the deatheater who had momentarily sat the bowl on the table so that he could bend over and tie his shoe.

"Get that out of here and get her another spoon,"

A moment later a plate is sat in front of her with the correct food and a clean fork.

Severus wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin before standing up and scooting his chair under the table.

"Come find me when you finish. I wish to speak with you." He requests.

Alex nods and watches him leave the room.

Half an hour later she was finishing up her breakfast, taking her time so that she would have an excuse to continue sitting there and talking to one of the more pleasant deatheaters. His name was Aretimis. He had long, curly blonde hair that he kept tied back with a strip of leather, lightly tanned skin, and stormy grey eyes. He had gotten into the habit of stopping to talk to her whenever Severus wasn't around, and the conversations they had were usually rather pleasant.

"You'd better go. Severus wants to speak with you." He advises as she finishes off the pumpkin juice he'd given her.

She nods in agreement and stands up just as a loud noise in the entrance hall caught their attention. Aretimis tensed as they heard Severus yell something. Severus rarely ever raised his voice over anything. When he did, there was a problem.

Aretimis took out his wand and hurried into the great hall. Alex followed him close behind. Severus and a small group of deatheaters stood at one end of the room and five 'friends' of mine stood near the door.

"Come on, A.J. We're getting you out of here." Antoine, my drug dealer, says urgently.

I stare at them in surprise, unsure of what to do.

"A.J. come on!" His brother shouts when I don't move.

"They seem to be under the impression that you want to leave." Severus points out casually, studying her and wondering whether she would try to.

Thoughts race through her mind. If she went with them, how far would they make it? What would happen to Caleb and Nat? Did she even want to go with them? Antoine rented her out for money…Severus was furious when she had been raped.

"Do you want to return to the life you had before?" Severus questions guardedly, refusing to let any of them see how much her answer would mean to him.

She could feel everyone's eyes on her. She studies Severus, but doesn't answer.

"Alex, go to my room. Now," He demands.

She starts towards him but hesitates, unable to make a decision.

Severus takes a step towards her. Out of the corner of her eyes she catches sight of Carla, Antoine's girlfriend, take out a gun and prepare to fire it at Severus.

"No!" Alex yells fearfully as Carla pulls the trigger. Carla and her friends are knocked back off of their feet by an unseen force, massing up the angle of the bullet and causing it to hit Severus in the shoulder rather than the chest.

He grunts in pain and grabs his shoulder, the blood quickly soaking through his robe.

"Who attacked them?" Severus asks curiously.

Aretimis strode over towards them, checking for pulses.

"None of us attacked them. It was the girl," One of the deatheaters says, "I saw her. She did magic."

"Don't be foolish," Severus snaps, "She's a muggle."

"What else could it have been? We didn't do it, and the magic couldn't have come out of no where." Another one points out.

Sever turns towards Alex.

"You've been shot," She murmurs, taking a few steps towards him.

"I'm fine," He replies, studying her. "Has anything unusual ever happened to you before? Things you couldn't explain?"

"Every so often. Don't things like that happen to everyone?" She answers nervously.

"Not like this," he replies simply. He turns towards Aretimis. "I want you to go to the Dark Lord and request that he send someone into the ministry to see if they have any information on Alex or her family. Squibs, perhaps? I want to know if her family has ever had any involvement in the wizarding world. I want you back here this evening with several wands from Ollivander's. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord." Aretimis agrees, stepping over Antoine and his gang and heading out the door.

"What of the intruders?" One of the other deatheaters asks Severus.

"Kill them," Severus orders.

"No, please!" Alex pleads quickly, "They're my friends!"

Severus hesitates. "They cannot stay here."

"Then send them somewhere else. Somewhere your Dark Lord hasn't taken over. Please, Severus…"

He thinks for a moment. "New Zealand?"

Alex nods in agreement.

"Erase their memories and apparate them over to New Zealand," Severus demands, jerking his head in their direction. "And be quick about it."

When his men got to work Severus turned back to Alex. "I still need to speak with you. Come with me."

"I'll speak with you after you get that wound tended to," She replies stubbornly, attempting to bargain with him.

"You'll speak to me while I get it tended to," He compromises. "Follow me."

She nods and follows him through a side door and down a hallway she'd never seen before. He led them to a room that looked like a small parlor.

"Sit down," He requests. He waves his wand and two mugs appear on a side table.

"Try this," He says, offering her one of the mugs before sitting down. One of the deatheaters comes through the door behind her and starts tending to Severus' shoulder.

"What is it?" She asks, studying it suspiciously.

"A treat. It's an alcoholic drink from the wizarding world. Try it." He urges her, "I haven't poisoned it."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.

"No, I just thought I'd give you a taste of my world. It's much more flavorful and stronger than what you're used to." He replies calmly.

She hesitantly took a sip. He was right. It was much better than what she was used to. Severus waited until the other man left before he continued.

"It seems," He starts, "That you have been sleeping rather poorly as of late."

"I've been sleeping fine," She lies.

"You tried to eat dog food this morning. Don't. Lie. To me." He points out before continuing. "Considering the fact that this began when you started sleeping alone, I would suggest that, four your health, you resume sleeping next to me."

"The couch is too small," She objects quickly, searching for excuses not to.

"Then allow me to sleep on the bed," He requests.

She bites her lower lip nervously, unsure of how to reply.

"Alex, I won't hurt you." He says insists gently, noticing the look on her face.

"Can you promise me that?" She demands.

"I believe you've just saved my life…I'm not going to repay you by violating you." He answers firmly.

"Do I have a choice?" She sighs.

"No,"

She finishes off the drink and sits it back on the side table before crossing her arms over her chest. "You think I'm a witch?"

"We're not sure yet," He admits, "But we are looking into it. In the mean time there are things you could learn without a wand I can teach you later this afternoon, if you wish?"

"I'd like that," She agrees with a hesitant smile.

"Right now I have work to do," He nods, "I assume you can entertain yourself until I'm finished. I will have someone show you the library. You might find a few things there that interest you."

"Why are you doing this for me?" She asks, not sure whether or not to trust him.

Severus hesitates before answering, "Because you deserve better."


	9. Chemistry Lessons

Chapter 9 Chemistry Lessons

Alex had been sitting on the sofa in the library, reading a book about the dark arts. IT fascinated her to no end so she had sought out three others and had them lying on the couch next to her. That was how Severus found her five hours after he had shown her the library.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asks her with a smirk. He greatly approved of her choice of reading material. The book in her hand was one of his favorites. It covered the basic principles of dark magic and then went into more detail about each of the spells, along with giving examples of how they could be used.

"Do you think I could use my magic to try some of these things?" She asks, looking up at him.

"If you have magic it would be my pleasure to teach you." He agrees, moving closer to her. "What page are you on?"

"One twenty-six," She answers, standing up to meet him. She closed the book and put it with the others.

"You want to try the imperious curse?" He asks, a little surprised that she had chosen one of the unforgivables.

"I think life would be a lot simpler if you could make people do what you wanted them to. If I had been able to cast the imperious curse, I could have kept my father from killing himself." She explains.

"And you could make your boyfriend do what you wanted him to without selling yourself to the other men," Severus adds, watching her closely to see how she would react to him referring to the leader of her gang as her lover.

"You think Antoine was my boyfriend?" She laughs, "Don't be ridiculous."

"He seemed to care about you," Severus points out.

"He cares about the money I could make him by renting me out to other men," Alex sighs, wearily, "I never considered him my boyfriend. He never considered me his girlfriend, either."

"If you were mine, I would never sell you out like that." He tells her softly.

Alex looks down at her hands fidgeting with them. "Are you ready to teach me yet?" She asks, changing the subject.

Severus straightens, taking the hint. It was alright. He'd get her to talk soon enough…if not more than talk. "Yes, come."

He turns on his heel and walks out the door. She walks quickly to keep up with his long strides.

"This building has been transformed to meet my needs," He informs me, "One of which is a potions lab."

"Is that what you're going to teach me? Potions?" She asks, as then head down the hallway and into a lab.

"Yes. This and herbology are two of the most common skills that don't require a wand." He answers, "Shall we begin?"

Alex nods and watches as he sets up an area for her to work in.

"I'm going to teach you how to make a minor healing potion. I will give you the instructions and watch you make the potion. I will correct you when you make mistakes and give you tips to improve your technique. Stand in front of the cauldron."

Thirty minutes later Alex found herself struggling to remember the names of each ingredient while working on the healing potion and having a conversation with her 'professor' between the times when he had to remind her which ingredient is which. The jars containing the ingredients had labels on them, but Severus had turned them so that she couldn't see the labels. It gave him more of an excuse to touch her in order to stop her from using the wrong ingredients and to talk to her to tell her which was the right one. He wanted to take his time and let her relax before he started questioning her, but he thought this was as relaxed as she was going to get.

"Why did you do it?" Severus asks.

"Do what?" Alex frowns, glancing at him as she let the potion simmer.

"Why did you try to keep your friend from killing me? Why didn't you go with them?"

She avoided his gaze. She wasn't sure she wanted to face that question yet. She couldn't explain it to herself, so there was no way she would be able to explain it to him.

"Let's just say that I realized I had two choices. I could either go with the men who rented me out to husbands with the urge to be unfaithful to their wives, or I could stay with the man who wouldn't even let his friends have their way with me." She says quietly, only answering the question half way.

"Cole was hardly a friend. We have a mutual loathing for each other," He corrects, "but it doesn't completely answer my question."

She nervously grabs one of the jars from off the table in front of her.

"No," He says, grabbing her hand. He moves to stand behind her, keeping his hand on hers. "It's this one." He corrects, maneuvering her hand to the correct item.

"You were obviously feeling a very strong emotion. That's the only way you'd be able to do wild magic…but which emotion was it that got the better of you?" He continues, assisting her with the potion, his hand over her hand and his chest pressed up against her back.

"I was afraid," She answers nervously, her heart pounding in her chest. His touch made her head spin and she suddenly wanted nothing more then to turn around and kiss him. She wasn't supposed to want to kiss her kidnapper…but was he her kidnapper anymore? She'd had the chance to leave and she'd chosen to stay. Did that mean she was here of her own free will now?

"You were afraid for me?" He asks, "Enough to knock your friends unconscious?"

"My heart and mind enjoy arguing with each other,"

"And which argument was it that was so easily resolved? I seem to be part of it," He prods.

She closes her eyes, trying to steady herself. "You seem to enjoy asking questions."

"Only when I'm trying to get a straight answer," He replies.

"There was no argument, that had to do with you, resolved," She answers.

"Then it is still in progress?" He continues.

"Yes,"

"Why, if for a moment they both agreed?"

"Because the logical side of me refuses to accept what my heart thinks it feels," She sighs, unable to resist leaning back against him as his thumb brushes over the inside of her wrist.

"And what does your heart think it feels?" He murmurs.

Alex stops what she's doing and slowly turns around, completely unsure of her intentions.

Severus bends down, holding her gaze, and turns off the fire. Straightening back up, he studies her. "Well?"

"This," She replies, placing her hand on his chest.

"What about this, exactly?" He murmurs.

Her mind races. She couldn't answer that question. She didn't know how.

He raises his hand to caress her face and lowers his head and brushing his lips softly over hers before straightening back up. His hands find her waist and he pushes her back against the table the potions ingredients were sitting on. Her hands move up his chest and through his hair before moving back down to rest on his shoulders. He lowers his head again, testing his boundaries, kissing her top lip and then the bottom one. His mouth opens just enough for the tip of his tongue to slip out and beg entrance to her mouth. Her lips part uncertainly and he instantly deepens the kiss, running one hand up her back and into her hair, holding her to him as he explored her mouth.

She presses herself against him, ignoring the voice in her head that was urging her to stop. She didn't care anymore whether it was right or wrong. This felt better…_he _felt better than all of the other men she had been with combined. She tightened her grip on him, finally surrendering and growing in confidence. He slips his free hand beneath her shirt onto her bare back, caressing her smooth skin. When she doesn't object he moved his hand further up her back. Her hands fall to her waist and pull him tighter against her. He had been careful to keep a small amount of distance between their hips, but she wanted to feel all of him against her. She gasps as she felt a bulge in his pants pressing up against her. A rush of pleasure ran through him and he lets out a low growl, grinding his hips against hers, making her moan for him. She pushes off his cloak as he picks her up and sits her on the table, pulling her legs around him and pushing the ingredients out of their way.

"Alex…" He groans huskily, demandingly, pressing against her hand as she runs her palm up against his arousal, "More…"

The door behind them suddenly swung open and Severus quickly released her, taking a couple of steps back and straightening his robes. They were both breathing heavily, and he struggled to regain control of himself as he glared at the deatheater standing in the doorway. Alex quickly slid off the table and picked up Severus' cloak, handing it to him. The deatheater stared at them in surprise without saying anything. Alex felt her face flush nervously and lowered her gaze to the floor. She wasn't sure whether she was going to regret giving in to him, but she couldn't regret how it had felt.

"State your business! And you'd better have a very bloody important reason for barging in here in such a manner, Crabbe!" Severus snarls furiously. Alex flinches at the sudden hostility in his voice. Severus glances at her, wishing they were alone again so that he could hold her, claim her. Take her. Severus was going to make the deatheater who had interrupted them wish he had never been born.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but Aretimis is back." Crabbe answers quickly, grimacing at the look on Severus' face.

Severus nods once and Crabbe immediately rushes off, shutting the door behind him.

Severus turns back to Alex and shoves her back against the table, pressing his lips against hers. He felt her tense up against him. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and gently ran his hands up her arms, making her melt against him. He breaks the kiss and meets her gaze.

"This will not be our last encounter of this nature," He murmurs, running his fingers down the side of her face and his thumb over her lips. "I was careless…I should have warded the door. Forgive me. Next time we won't be so easily interrupted."

She studies him for a moment, hesitant, but then offers him a small smile.

He smirks, "Come. I will clean this up later. Let's go see whether you're truly a witch."


	10. A Long Line of Squibs

Chapter 10 A Long Line of Squibs

Aretimis was waiting in the entry hall leaning against the wall next to the front door. There was a bag full of long boxes sitting next to him. He reaches for it as Severus walks in behind me.

"No," Severus stops him stiffly, still bitter at having been interrupted, "The information first. Have they found anything?"

"The ministry had a file over a long line of squibs that went by Alex's last name. Apparently the ministry thought the Jennings family had completely lost their magic after having gone so long without a witch in the family. The ministry was no longer keeping tabs on them, so the file ended a few generations before Alex, but it is possible that she might come from that family. If so, she would be the first witch in her family in over a hundred years," Aretimis answers with a smile.

"It is possible, and it would explain quite a bit." Severus agrees. He glances at Alex before adding, "Bring the wands to the parlor. You will help her find her match."

Severus took Alex by the elbow and leads her back to the room they had discussed sleeping arrangement in earlier. She sat down on the couch, watching as Severus conjured and set up a few vases for her to attempt to do magic on. He and Aretimis took the chairs opposite her and Aretimis placed the wands on the floor between them. Aretimis chooses one, takes it from the box, and hands it to Alex.

"Redwood, eleven inches, dragon heartstring," He tells her, "Just wave it around. Try to aim it at one of the vases and mentally will it to do something."

Alex waves the wands towards the vase closest toward her and wills it to float up off the floor. Nothing happened.

"Again," Severus orders.

She waves it at the vase next to the first one, but there was still no response from the wand or the vase. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Alex couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"What are you waiting for? Give her another wand!" Severus snaps irritably.

Aretimis nods and takes the wand from me, putting it away before handing me another one.

"Birch, ten inches, unicorn hair."

Neither that wand, nor any of the next three responded to her at all. She was starting to think they were out of their minds. She couldn't do magic. She never had before and she never would. Magic wasn't real. It was just a fantasy that gave people hope so that it would hurt worse when they discovered that hope wasn't real either.

"Why don't you give up, Severus? I'm not a witch, and I feel foolish sitting here waving sticks around." She snaps hopelessly.

"There are two wands left-" Severus starts to object.

"Three," Aretimis corrects.

"There are three wands left," Severus restates, "There is still a chance that one of them will do something for you."

"It could just be taking a while to fully awaken her abilities. You have to want the magic, Alex. You have to believe in it." Aretimis urges her.

She sighs in frustration, "Fine. Give me another one."

"Ash, thirteen inches, dragon heartstring," Aretimis tells her softly, handing her a wand.

She waves the wand at the vases and rolls her eyes when nothing happens, tossing the wand back to Aretimis.

"Next," Severus demands sharply.

"Willow, fourteen inches, phoenix feather," Aretimis says, quickly handing her another.

Alex pointed it at the vase closest to her and it violently explodes, startling her badly enough that she jumped out of her seat.

Severus smirks, standing up and motioning for Aretimis to do the same. "The last one."

"Vinewood, fifteen inches, unicorn hair," Aretimis breathes, his eyes wide as he hands her the wand.

Alex takes the wand and us instantly surrounded by a bright light. Once it disappears Severus smirks at her. "Congratulations witch. You now have your wand."

"What a coincidence it is that the wand she shall use was surprisingly the last chosen out of eight, as she was the last chosen out of eight to be your wife." Aretimis murmurs, studying them calculatingly.

"Indeed," Severus frowns at him, "Coincidence."

Alex stared at them in shock, "There were seven others?"

Severus nods once, and her breath catches in her chest. He was using her. It was obvious. How else could it be explained? He had chosen seven other women to be his wives as well. Where were they? Were they still his wives? She cursed at herself under her breath. To think that she had nearly slept with this arse.

"Did you kidnap them, too?" She asks harshly, throwing her words at him. "How many times did you fuck them before you got bored, out of curiosity regarding how long you plan on keeping me around?"

"I shall discuss this with you later this evening," Severus frowns, sending a glare towards Aretimis. Aretimis shouldn't have said anything about it in front of her. Severus could see the coincidence just as easily without Aretimis pointing it out.

Alex turns away from him, hurt.

"Dinner should be ready," Severus mutters. "Aretimis, we are going to celebrate finding out my wife is a witch. It will be held a week from today. You are to go to the Dark Lord and invite him to honor us with his presence on said day."

Aretimis nods, "I'm sorry, Severus. I shouldn't have said anything."

"What did you call me?" Severus snarls. Normally he wouldn't mind Aretimis using his name as long as they weren't in front of the others, but right now he was pissed.

"My Lord," Aretimis corrects himself quickly, bowing at Severus and leaving the room before Severus could reply.

"Come," Severus says, offering his arm to Alex.

She ignores his arm and walks out the door in front of him, heading towards the dining room.

"You're angry with me." He points out quietly, staying close to her so that only she could hear him. "Why exactly is that?"

"We'll talk about this later," She answers mockingly, using the same answer he'd given her.

"I'll hold you to it," He snaps in annoyance.

She ignored him for the entire meal, which did nothing to help his discomfort, but she didn't care. She was uncomfortable as well. She was the one who had been given mental images of her 'husband' with seven other women. She pushed her plate away and rubbed her forehead, trying to force the images out of her mind. It made her skull feel like it was about to split open, and she suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy. Weak. It surprised her. After everything she'd been through she would have thought she would know better than to give her heart to any man, let alone one that had kidnapped her and started calling her his wife before she had even known his name.

…Her heart? She hadn't really given him her heart, had she? She didn't love him…she was just…sexually attracted to him. She knew immediately that she was lying to herself. She did care about him. She couldn't help him. She couldn't even sleep away from his embrace. She had tried so hard to build up her defenses, and within a matter of weeks he had completely destroyed them. Made her more than ready to give herself to him. Made her yearn for him. But he didn't feel that way about her. To him, she was just another in a long line of 'wives', the others of whom he'd probably killed after he grew bored with them.

"Are you alright?" Severus asks.

His voiced seemed so far away. She reached for her drink, thinking ingesting liquids would help clear her head, but her hand was shaking too hard for her to do anything other than knock it over. She struggled to her feet and tried to move away from the table before she knocked anything else over, but the sudden motion made her vision go blurry. She felt herself falling.

Severus quickly jumped up from his seat and caught her before she hit the ground. She wanted to yell at him not to touch her, but darkness crept in on the edges of her vision and all she could utter before the shadows over took her was a single word, "Severus…"


	11. Three Reasons

Chapter 11 Three Reasons

Alex slowly drifts into consciousness on the couch in Severus' room. She moans in pain. Her entire body hurt. She tried to open her eyes, but quickly snapped them shut again and placed her hand over them protectively. The lights were too bright. It had felt like needles hitting them.

She could hear a familiar voice order that the lights be dimmed, and she slowly blinked open her eyes and removed her hand, studying her surroundings. Severus was standing against a wall, watching her closely. There was a strange woman not to far from him, and Aretimis to the other side of him. She closes her eyes again, remember what had happened. Why she should hate him. If she didn't learn to hate him again, she wouldn't make it out of this without breaking again. Maybe even worse than it had hurt last time.

Severus noticed the brief hint of hurt in Alex's eyes and quickly moves towards her, the other woman following close behind.

"I need her to open her eyes," The woman requests.

Alex turns her back to them. "Which number is she?" She tries to snarl in anger, but it comes out more like a painful whimper.

"Alex, this is Camille. She's a mediwitch. She is here to make sure you're alright." He informs her, subtly denying her accusation.

Alex ignores him, and he turns back towards the mediwitch and Aretimis.

"Leave us," He orders.

"I really shouldn't, sir. She needs help." Camille objects.

"Did you not just inform me that what happened was simply a side affect of her magical abilities suddenly surfacing? Did you not tell me that the symptoms would pass naturally and that it wasn't likely to happen again? That she would be fine?" Severus points out demandingly.

"Yes, but I do need to make sure!" Camille insists.

"I said leave us!" Severus repeats, an obvious threat in his tone of voice.

Camille glares at him defiantly.

"Aretimis, the lady refuses aid. Please, escort our mediwitch back to St. Mungo's." Severus requests angrily.

Aretimis takes out his wand and takes Camille by the arm, forcing her to turn towards the door. He pulls her out of the room and Severus shuts the door behind them.

Alex, unable to hear any further movement, assumes that Severus had left the room as well. She slowly opens her eyes and sits up, testing her ability to move. Other than being a little dizzy and sore, she felt fine.

"The eighth…" Severus says softly, startling her. She quickly looks in his direction, and he meets her gaze with a look of determination in his eyes.

She closes her eyes and leans her head against the couch, folding her arms over her chest and trying to ignore the wave of emotion that she was drowning in.

"There was no one before you," He insists. He hesitates before adding, "Ever."

She looked at him again with a look of doubt on her face, and he took that as an encouragement to continue. "The Dark Lord gave me a selection of witches to watch in order to decide which of them I would like to have as a wife, just like you were given a selection of wands to find the one that would best suit you. I refused all of them and instead chose a muggle woman who hides her true self behind a mask of stubbornness and cruelty." He explains.

"And how would you know who my 'true self' is?" She asks mockingly.

"Was I not the man you were kissing earlier this evening?" He questions as an answer.

"I have three answers to that question," She sighs.

"Which are?" He pushes raising his eyebrows at her.

"One-I've kissed a lot of me. Why should kissing you mean anything more than what kissing them meant? Two-I was being foolish, and three- everyone makes mistakes." She throws at him defensively.

He studies her for a moment before taking a few steps closer to her as he replies, "One, perhaps you should let your heart answer that."

"My heart isn't something I pride myself on. I have no reason to think it could make the right decision."

"Why not?" He asks. Before she can answer, he adds, "Because it's broken?"

She looks away from him, unable to meet his gaze.

"Two," He continues, "How exactly does kissing me make you a fool?"

"By taking into consideration the fact that you're the enemy," She snaps, "Even if I am a witch, do you really think I would be on your Dark Lord's side?"

"How do you know there is another side?" He counters.

"Darkness can't be all there is," She mutters.

"That's surprising. I'd have though you'd forgotten that particular detail." He returns.

"Unfortunately I haven't been able to get rid of these memories." She answers simply.

He moves towards her again, kneeling down so that he's eye level with her.

"And the third?" She questions.

"I'm getting to it," He answers, putting his hand on her neck and pulling her towards him. He kisses her gently, not asking for a response, but firm enough to remind her why she had given in to him earlier. After a moment, he releases her. "How can you call that a mistake?"

She leaves her eyes closed, opening her mouth to answer, but immediately closing it again, not sure how to.

"I won't hurt you, Alex." He vows, "You can trust me."

"You can't honestly say you've never been with anyone else." She objects.

"I have never been with anyone who meant anything important to me. There was a girl when I was young. I desired er. She was my best friend, but I wanted her to be more than that. She was never mine. She married my rival. I'm experienced well enough, but not through real relationships. I haven't wanted anyone since Lily. Not until I saw you. I was never with any of the other women the Dark Lord wanted me to choose from for a wife….Alex, please. I would do anything for you."

She shakes her head, "Anything but let me go,"

"Did you not have the chance to leave when your friends decided to stick their noses in our business?" He points out.

"You wouldn't have allowed it," She objects.

"I gave you the choice. I only told you to go to our room after I realized you wanted to stay with me." He answers.

He kisses her again, tangling his fingers in her hair. "You have no other excuse other than that you are afraid."

"And that you're the enemy," She adds coldly.

"If I changed sides the Dark Lord would kill me," He says firmly.

"You just said you'd do anything for me. Does that exclude risking your life to do the right thing?"

He studies her for a moment before wiping the emotion off of his face, leaving his expression blank as he stands up, letting her go.

"Yes," He sneers.


	12. Here's to being a Deatheater

Chapter 12 Here's to Being a Deatheater

"It's too dangerous!" Molly objects, "You could be walking right into a trap!"

"We have to help this girl," Arthur insists gently, rubbing her shoulder to try to calm her down. "She's someone's daughter, Molly. What if Ginny was in her place? You would want us to save her, wouldn't you? Merlin knows what Snape is putting this poor girl through."

"Yes, I know…but I don't want to lose you in the process!" Molly pleads.

"We're taking polyjuice potion. There isn't any way for them to detect us," Hermione joins in, rushing past them in her hurry to prepare for the mission.

"Hermione!" Molly exclaims in surprise, "You're not going, are you?"

"Of course I'm going, Mrs. Weasley. I'm a muggleborn and I've taken two years of muggle studies. They need me to help them talk to her and understand her." She explains.

"Didn't they just find out she isn't a muggle?" Molly argues, rushing after Hermione in an attempt to get her to stay.

"Even more of a reason for me to go," Hermione answers, "I can understand how she's feeling, going from muggle to witch overnight like that."

"How do you know she even wants to leave?" Molly continues.

"She was kidnapped, raped, and forced to be Severus Snape's wife. Who wouldn't want to escape that? I'd be surprised if she isn't already planning to kill him…and we can help her with that." Sirius answers coldly.

Hermione grabs her share of the potion and adds Bellatrix Lestrange's hair. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Here's to being a deatheater."

She holds her nose and swallows down the potion at the same time as the others who were going. Sirius turns into Rodolphus, Lupin into Lucius, Tonks into Narcissa, Arthur into Draco, and Hermione into Bellatrix.

"What is the real deatheaters get loose?" Molly asks.

"You and the boys erase their memories and let them go. Anything more will draw attention to us." Sirius/Lucius replies, "I think Lucius will help us keep it quiet. He hasn't said as much, but I get the feeling that he's tired of the Dark Lord taking him for granted."

"Relax, Molly." Arthur/Draco adds, "We will be back before you even start to miss us."

"We have to do this, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione/Bellatrix attempts to convince her. "And we are capable of pulling it off. We will be fine."

"Come on, Herm-Bella." Sirius/Lucius urges her. "We're going to be late for the party."

Hermione/Bella takes a deep breath, steadying herself, and nods before following the others out.

Molly sits on one of the pallets in the corner of the cavern, trying to hold back the tears and wondering what her life had come to. Charlie Weasley sits down beside her and wraps his arms around her, and Ginny sits on her other side.

"Don't worry, mum. The darkness won't last forever. Harry and Ron will be back with us soon." Ginny whispers, trying to comfort her mother.

Molly nods and leans back into her son's embrace, trying to be strong.


	13. Silence at the Ball

Chapter 13 Silence at the Ball

"You are going to come down! This celebration is for you and I will not tolerate your rudeness. You _will _go down and greet our Dark Lord with the proper respect!" Severus demands angrily.

"Your Dark lord! Not mine! Therefore, I have no reason to go downstairs and join your little party." She snarls at him, whirling around to face him.

"The Dark Lord is the greatest wizard who ever lived. You should be proud to be so openly welcomed into his presence! Furthermore you are the wife of his most faithful servant, which means he is your Dark Lord as well. If that isn't reason enough, consider this. If you don't cooperate, you will start spending your evenings in my bed…but we won't be resting." He sneers threateningly.

Alex's eyes widen and she quickly backs away from him. He smirks.

"If you ever speak to me with such disrespect again, I'll keep you in bed all day. Anything else…my lady?" He asks mockingly, raising his eyebrows.

She quickly shakes her head no.

"Very well. Dress formally. I want to see you downstairs in ten minutes. If not, we will retire early this evening. Understand?" He orders.

Alex nods.

"Good," He finishes before turning around and walking out, feeling worse than he had when he'd walked in…which was saying something.

He loathed himself for doing that to her, threatening her with rape, but he couldn't deal with her stubbornness this evening. As he made his way back downstairs, he found himself arguing with himself.

'_Why don't I just switch sides for her?'_

'_Because there's practically nothing left of the other side. I'd lose everything'_

'_Everything but she…and I did say that I'd do anything for her…'_

'_Anything but my life'_

'_Is she not worth it?'_

'_Enough! I have my perfectly logical reasons for refusing to give in to her! I refuse to argue with myself!'_

He tasted a hint of bitterness in his mouth when he realized he already was.

* * *

Alex walks to the closet and opened the door. Severus had stolen a silvery blue dress for her just for the occasion. It had a fairly low neckline, a corseted waist, and long lace sleeves. The back of it was made of some sort of see through material that went down to her lower waist. The skirt was made of the same see through material, but was multilayered so that it wasn't too revealing. She grabbed the dress off the hanger and quickly pulled it on. Then she went to the jewelry box Severus had placed on top of the dresser for her and took out the necklace he had given her. It was a thin sterling silver chain with a silver heart with a sapphire set into it. The sapphire was rounded like a heart, but the back was smooth and engraved with the word "always". She assumed he's stolen that, too.

She pulls her fingers through her hair and gives it a bunch of wild waves before taking another silver chain out of the jewelry box. This one was a thin Celtic tiara. She arranges it on her head and slips on a pair of tall white boots before heading out the door. She had two or three minutes left, so she took her time going down the stairs.

She looks around the room and easily spots Severus waiting not too far from the stairs. He had his back to her, talking to someone she didn't recognize. The man Severus was talking to started to say something to him but caught sight of her standing on the staircase and had to do a double take, the subject of conversation slipping his mind.

Severus whirls around to see what had caught his friend's attention and freezes as he caught sight of Alex, his lips slightly parted and his breath catching in his chest.

A bald, evil looking man with a slit for a nose walked up to him. Alex could barely make out what they were saying, but heard enough to know he had asked about her.

Severus moves to the bottom of the staircase and offers her his arm. She glares at him, but much to his relief, follows his lead without making a scene. He escorts her over to the man who had asked about her.

"If I may, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Alexandra Snape. Alex, this is our Dark Lord."

The 'Dark Lord' takes her free hand and brings it to his lips before adding, "But _you_ may call be Voldemort."

Alex smiles at him and gently takes her hand back. "Thank you, Voldemort. Tell me, do you dance?"

He smiles. "Only with you."

* * *

"She has been doing that all evening!" Severus hisses out loud, but under his breath.

He was furious. She had spent an hour or so with Bellatrix Lestrange and several other deatheaters, but otherwise she had spent her time dancing with the Dark Lord. She had ignored Severus for the entire evening. It was obvious to him that she was angry with him. He understood why, but trying to make him jealous this way was crossing the line. She would have to be punished for this.

Alex and the Dark Lord were dancing again…their bodies pressed close together. He glared at them one last time before grabbing his bottle of firewhiskey and heading upstairs to his room. He refused to watch that any longer. Aretimis would watch the party for him, and Severus doubted the Dark Lord would miss him anyways with Alex throwing herself at him that way. He sits down on the couch to brood and finish off what was his fourth bottle of firewhiskey for that night. After an hour or so, he throws it across the room and watches it shatter against the door.

He lies down on the couch and closed his eyes, thinking about what could have been if he'd just told her the truth. Even if she weren't a witch, he'd been under her spell since the moment he'd laid eyes on her. He was willing to do anything for her. He would die for her…

As he drifts off he faintly hears the sounds of someone downstairs screaming in distress, calling for help from a man who couldn't even help himself.


	14. Byron

Chapter 14 Byron's Warning

"What the bloody hell was that?" Severus mutters out loud.

"Who do you think it was? Who else could it be but your mistress?" A familiar voice replies.

"Who are you?" Severus demands cautiously.

"I am who you don't want me to be." The voice answers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Severus snaps.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about your mistress than about who I am? After all, it was she who screamed." The voice points out calmly.

"She's not my mistress, she's my wife! Where is she?" Severus hisses in frustration.

"She's quite safe…for now." The voice assures him. "You will see her again, but first you will come with me."

"What do you mean 'she's safe for now'?" Severus snarls, "Where is she? ...Where am I?"

He notices his surroundings, or the lack thereof, for the first time. Everything was black. It was as though he was inside the color itself, and he would have assumed so if he thought that was possible. And if there wasn't so much fog around him.

"A black abyss…" Severus murmurs. Even when he was talking softly his voice had a slight echo to it. It was strange. He paused as he caught sight of a glimpse of light.

"You see me," The voice says, "Come see for yourself who I am."

Severus cautiously moves towards the light. He frowns, feeling as though he were floating towards it rather than walking towards it. As he gets closer, he gets even more confused. The man in the light was…him.

"What is this?" Severus demands.

"You know what this is. I am you, but only part of you…the part of you that you wish you could escape. The part of you that loves her. Needs her. I am the part of you that yearns only for her embrace, her soft touch…her kiss. The strength she doesn't realize she has. The part that wants to give her the life she deserves, and the part that knows we don't deserve her or what she has to offer. Would it not be so much easier if I died? But you can't kill me. You would have to kill yourself in order to do that. You may call me Byron on order to avoid confusion." The voice offers.

"I don't understand what's happening." Severus pushes, frowning at the sight of himself. "Where am I?"

"You are my honored guest! This is my home! This is where you keep me hidden away! In our own private hell!" Byron yells angrily. His voice grew louder with each sentence, shaking whatever it was that they were standing on.

Severus's eyes widen as lava and fire shoot up from behind them and spread across the ground, consuming their feet. He turned and attempted to escape it, but it moved too quickly. Pain seared through his feet and legs, and he closed his eyes, refusing to watch his downfall.

Two strong hands grab his arms and holds him still. Severus struggles wildly, trying to throw them off.

"Would you stop it? You're going to wake her!" Byron hisses.

Severus stops struggling and opens his eyes slowly; afraid of what he might see. Alex was lying in his bed, dressed in nothing but a sheer shift that failed to hide the proof that she was entirely female. He could see the rise and fall of her breasts as she slept. He unconsciously moves forward to caress her face, suddenly overcome by the desire to take his place by her side. Before he could touch her, Byron grabs his arm and shakes his head no.

"You cannot have her. She's not yours until we are finished. We must do what we have come to do, and then you may fuck her." Byron tells him.

"How dare you speak of her with such little respect?" Severus snarls furiously.

Byron raises his eyebrows.

"Why not?" He questions, "That's the way you speak to her to her face, isn't it? Threatening to rape her…"

Severus stares at him in surprise. "I…" He breaks off, knowing he had no excuse for it.

"Oh, well that changes everything, doesn't it?" Byron replies sarcastically. A shiny, silver dagger appears in his hand and he offers it to Severus. "Go on." He urges him, "Use it. Cut her. Make her feel the hopelessness that you feel. Bring her inches from death. Make her long for it, but don't give her that release. ..Just scar her as you've been scarred."

"I thought you said you loved her," Severus throws at him.

"I do love her…but you use me against her. To hurt her and make her hate me. Come now! It's nothing new to you! It's what the Dark Lord loves about you. You're merciless. Even towards those you claim to care for. You're giving her a slow painful death. You're actions are killing her fast enough as it is. You could put an end to it right now. Show her mercy and take her life. You'll be rid of us both without having to do harm to yourself. You know I'll follow her." Byron tempts him.

"How are my actions killing her? She's better off with me than she is out living the life she had before." Severus insists.

"Come, let's continue." He claps his hands together and the surroundings fall away into darkness. They reappear in a circular driveway. Behind them was a road. To the left was a forest, and to the right was a small garden. Byron starts off towards the trailer house that was positioned in front of them. "Come, Snape. Let me show you around."

Byron waits until Severus follows him into the house before continuing, "This is the living room where Alex spent her early childhood. Alex slept on this couch when she was seven."

Severus frowned. There was a bed pressed against the opposite wall. Why had she slept on the couch? "What of the bed?" He questions.

"Oh, yes." Byron exclaims, "This is where fucked in front of her."

Severus' eyes darted back to Byron. He couldn't possibly be serious.

"Would you like to see?" Byron questions. Without waiting for a reply, he claps his hands again and Severus gasps as erotic noises emerge from the couple who suddenly appeared in the bed. He could also hear the faint, quiet sobs of a little girl lying on the couch. She had her eyes shut tight and was clinging to a teddy bear.

"She cried herself to sleep every night back then," Byron mutters, "Her father forced her mother to do it, but neither of them cared enough to notice how much it hurt Alex."

Severus kneels down on the floor next to the girl and gently brushes a tear off her cheek. He's shock as a wave of hurt rushes through him.

"When you touch her, you feel what she feels," Byron explains, "but she can't sense you in any way. We're not permitted to interfere with the past. It could damage the present…much like a time turner works."

Severus leans over her and buries his face in her hair, feeling a guilt that he was certain didn't come from her. His heart broken for the child she had been, and he suddenly hated himself for making her present so difficult.

"So you have a heart now?" Byron asks coldly, "Are you going to let her teach you how to use it?"

Severus stands up to face him, feeling a little shaky. "You can read my thoughts?"

"Why not?" Byron asks, "After all, I am you, aren't I? They're my thoughts as well. You'd be in touch with your heart long before now if you'd have just let me be! You're pushing her away like you did lily! What's wrong with you, Severus?"

"Get me out of here," Severus demands harshly, "I don't want to see any more."

"Oh, we're just getting started, Severus. There's more to see. I'm not letting you go yet." Byron laughs. He claps his hands and their surrounding change to those of a small flat in a city.

"Where are we?" Severus questions, following Byron down a short hallway the lead to a locked door.

"When her mother decided she wanted a new family. Alex got into the habit of locking erself in er room so that no one could stop her." Byron replies.

"Stop her from what?" Severus frowns.

"Just walk through the door." Byron urges him.

Severus hesitantly moves through the door and towards a girl who was sitting on the floor, her back to them. When he got close enough to see over her should to what she was doing, he froze in shock.

"You haven't noticed the scars on her felt arm? They're faint now, but they're still there." Byron tells him. "She cuts herself because she can't take the pain she feels inside. Physical pain is more merciful…she's so alone…"

Severus quickly turns away and rushes out of the room to see where her mother was. Byron quickly followed.

"That's her there, lying on the couch watching a movie. And I assume you remember the rest. She moved in with her father. He killed himself. She sold herself for muggle poison."

"Why are you showing me this?" Severus demands.

"You took her in from off the streets, away from the mistakes she made." Byron answers, "For a moment she began to trust us, thinking that perhaps we might be her second chance…and then you should her that you and I are just another mistake she's being forced into. Her own private hell."

The surroundings fade away, but this time they stay black. They were back where they had begun, but without the lava and fire. "A hell like mine…but how much more can she take before she's lost forever, Severus?" He asks, his form fading into the darkness. He backs up and disappears completely, but his voice still echoed through the fog. "Think about this carefully, master. Do you really want the woman you love trapped in a place like this, when you know you can give her so much more?"

The voice fades, leaving a heavy silence ringing in his ears as he slowly blinks open his eyes. He was safely back in his room. He lets out a sigh in relief.

"It was only a dream," He mutters, trying to reassure himself.

He suddenly recalls the screaming he'd heard when he'd first fallen asleep. He wasn't as confident that part was a dream. He gets up from the couch and moves closer to his bed, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, hoping to find Ale safely sleeping in his bed. What he found caused a rush of fear to grip his heart.

She was gone.


	15. Kidnapped and Recruited

Chapter 15 Kidnapped and Recruited

Alex blinks open her eyes and tries to sit up. Her head was pounding as though she had a hangover, but she knew she hadn't had anything to drink lately. He stomach was threatening to reject what she had eaten earlier that night.

…was it still that night?

A hand on her shoulder pushes her back onto the hard stone ground.

"You're quite a fighter for one who just discovered she's a witch." A man grins at her. He had dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair.

"I've been trained well," She mutters in return, clutching her head. "Who are you?"

"The effect of the curse will wear off soon and there shouldn't be any lingering side effects. My name is Sirius Black. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're safe here." He answers. "What's your name?"

"Alexandra Jennings," She answers with a frown, not sure whether she should believe him. "Lord Snape calls me Alex."

"Lord Snape? Is that what he's calling himself these days?" Sirius asks mockingly.

"You're not a deatheater." Alex says, sitting back up and narrowing her eyes at him.

"No. Never. We're the good guys, and you're here so that you can have a choice about which side you want to be on."

"And what about Severus?" She asks, studying him cautiously.

"Snape is…lost to us. He's chosen to stay with the Dark Lord. We can't help him…or change him."

"He's not a bad man," She objects.

"You really think so? You actually believe he cares about you?"

She looks away, avoiding the question.

"Don't be so blunt, Sirius." A female voice scolds him. "She apparently thinks more of him than we thought she would."

Alex looks in the direction of the voice and notices a girl with wavy brown hair leaning against the wall. She looked younger than Sirius, but he listened to her.

"I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hermione says gently, offering her a smile.

"Hopefully not too much more of him," Sirius mutters.

"I'm his wife!" Alex snaps defensively. "How do I even know for sure that I can trust you?"

"I don't know how to prove it to you, other than that we got you out of that house full of deatheaters." Sirius answers, "Isn't that enough? And I know for a fact that there was never an actual wedding, which leads me to believe that you were never willingly his 'wife' at all. Besides, you can't say that he's always been kind to you, and the word 'love' isn't even in his vocabulary."

"He's different from the others," She insists, "I don't want to see him get hurt."

"Bloody hell," He mutters, shocked, "Do you love him?"

Alex studies him for a moment before shaking her head no. "But only because he won't let me."

"We need you on our side, Alex. There aren't many of us left who are still actively working against you-know-who. You don't really want to be a deatheater, do you?" Hermione asks her.

"No, I don't…Will you compromise with me?"

"What is it that you want?" Sirius asks cautiously.

"Don't give up on Severus yet…give me a little more time with him." She requests.

Sirius starts to object, but Hermione quickly cuts him off.

"Alright," Hermione agrees, "You can have until we're ready to take on you-know-who. You don't have to reveal your allegiance to us until then, All we need you to do right now is keep an ear open and give us any information you hear."

Sirius stands up and leaves the room, which looked more like a cave.

"So I can go back?" She asks.

"You can stay there until the final battle, but then you have to decide whose side you want to fight on." Hermione tells her. "How's your head?"

"It's wearing off quickly," Alex answers, "What happened?"

"You got hit with several hexes at once. We were in disguise and when you saw us start to change back into ourselves, you yelled for Snape. We had to knock you out quickly so that we could get out before we got caught." She explains.

Sirius returns to the room and hands Alex a small mirror. "Just say my name into this mirror and we can communicate through it." He instructs.

Alex nods, examining it. It looked like a small, ordinary silver mirror to her, but she would take his word for it.

"Alright. It's time for you to go back."


	16. Surrender

Chapter 16 Surrender

It was just before sunrise when Alex finally got back to Severus' rooms. She quickly changed out of her formal clothing and into a night gown. Then she moved to star out the window and watched as deatheaters scurried back and forth on the ground below her.

A couple of minutes later, Severus storms into the room in a rage.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" He demands angrily.

"I went for a walk," She lies.

He moves towards her, taking out his wand and slamming her back against the wall. "Don't lie to me!" He hisses dangerously, pressing his wand to her throat. "I've had my men searching for you all night!"

She pushes him away. "Don't care about me enough to go looking for me yourself?" She accuses.

He pushes her back against the wall again and captures her mouth in a deep kiss. She struggles against him for a moment, but he pins her hands against the wall on either side of her head and uses his body to hold her still as his tongue explores her mouth.

She moans and stops struggling, pressing her body back against his. He breaks the kiss, but keeps his hold on her tight.

"That's not true," He murmurs, pressing his forehead against hers. "You have no idea how worried I was about you…I don't suppose you're going to tell me where you really were?"

"Are you going to make me?" She demands, meeting his gaze.

"…No, I'm not." He answers hesitantly, "I'm going to trust you."

"Then I won't tell you." She answers.

He releases her wrists and moves his fingers to caress the side of her face. "Just don't leave me like that again."

She studies him but doesn't answer.

He looks away, refusing to meet her gaze as he adds, "I don't want to lose you…I can't lose you."

She cups his cheek with her hand and forces him to look at her, gently pressing a kiss to his lips and sliding her hands over him to rest tangled in his hair. His body pressed tight against her as he ran his hands down her body and around her waist, holding her against him. After a moment he picked her up and carries her to the bed, breaking the kiss for a moment in order to lay her down and straddle her. She gasps as he presses his growing arousal against her center and moves his lips down onto her neck, tracing her collarbone with small kisses.

"Severus…" She breathes, arching up into him as his hand cupped her breast.

"You're mine," He growls, putting just enough space between them to pull her night gown up to her waist.

She pushes his cloak off of his as his lips found hers again, but then gently pushes him back.

"Alex?" he frowns questioningly, giving her a little room.

"Take it off," She requests, sitting up and raising her arms up over her head.

Severus smirks and tugs her night gown up over her head before using his body to push hers back down. He moves his head down to her chest and catches her nipple between his teeth, brushing his tongue over it, teasing her.

Her eyes flutter shut and she tangles her hands in his hair, holding her to him. He moves his mouth to nip at her other breast while his hand squeezes the one he abandoned. After a moment he moves his mouth back up to hers and takes one of her wrists, pulling of her hands out of his hair. He keeps it pressed to his body as his slides it down his chest and stomach, breaking the kiss to meet her gaze as he holds her hand against his erection.

He moans as she squeezes him and starts rubbing him through his pants. He closes his eyes and burins his face in her hair. She moves her hands up to unfasten the buttons of his robes. He raises up and shakes his wand out of his sleeve, magically unfastening his robes and removing his socks and shoes, but leaving the rest for her to take off of him.

"Impatient?" She laughs softly, pushing his robes off and unfastening his pants.

"I want you," He growls, grinding his hips against hers.

"You can have me," She answers, earning herself another deep kiss, his tongue prodding at hers. He gasps into her mouth as she pushes his pants down and his length falls against her. She immediately takes him in her hand and caresses him, pushing her hand up and down his arousal. He slips his fingers into her knickers and rubs against her. She was wet. Ready for him.

"Enough," He gasps, pulling her hand away and using one hand to pin them above her head. He uses his wand to finish undressing them before tossing the wand aside.

She arches up into him as he slips a finger inside of her, thrusting into her a few times as his thumb teases her. After a moment he withdraws his hand and positions himself at her entrance, releasing her wrists and using his hands to prop himself up as he impales her with his length, sending a shock of electric pleasure shooting through both of them. She wraps her legs around his waist, her heart racing as he gives her a moment to get used to the size of him.

"You're beautiful," He moans as he slowly starts thrusting up into her, letting out a soft grunt with movement.

Alex tangles her hands back into his hair and meets his gaze as she starts moving with him, reveling in the feel of him inside of her, the friction between them sending waves of pleasure running through her. He quickly lost control and began shoving himself into her in a frenzy. He pressed himself against her so that his body would rub against hers as he plunges into her heat, causing even more friction between them. They were both breathing heavily and she could feel his hot breath against her neck, sending her over the edge. She tightened her grip on him as the world went out of focus.

Severus rode her through her climax, struggling to keep his rhythm steady, but he was quickly reaching his orgasm as well. He could feel it building in him, and he quickened his pace, shoving himself into her harder. A few seconds later one last thrust sent him spilling himself into her. He fell against her, his face in her hair, gripping her as though he thought she would disappear. He rolled over, pulling her on top of him without loosening his grip on her. She rests her head on his chest, closing her eyes and listening to his heartbeat.

"Wife," He smirks as their breathing slowly evens out.

"Yes?" She answers with a soft laugh. She felt his chest stop moving for a moment as his breath caught in his chest, surprised that she had responded positively towards the title.

She shifts so that she could meet his gaze, waiting patiently as he hesitated.

"Did I hurt you?" He asks, unable to hide a look of worry in his eyes.

She smiles at him, moving up far enough to press a soft kiss to his lips. "You were...incredible…husband."


	17. Recruiting an Enemy?

Chapter 17 Recruiting an Enemy?

Sirius leaned against the wall of the cavern; resting one foot against a small boulder and listening to Molly express her concerns over their new ally.

"She's on our side, Molly. Just relax. What we have to worry about now is finding Harry and Ron." Sirius insists.

"She obviously feels more strongly about Snape than we thought, Sirius! She saw our hideout. She could describe it to one of the deatheaters and we could get caught! Then who would rescue Harry and Ron?' Molly argues.

"She will fight for our side. She knows what he's doing is wrong. We can trust her regardless of what she feels towards old Snivellus. I don't know what she sees in him, anyways." Sirius mutters.

"She doesn't know yet who he really is." Hermione answers, "She doesn't think he's a bad person. She needs to learn for herself."

"Besides, she might be able to get us more information on Harry and Ron," Sirius adds.

"Oh…very well." Mrs. Weasley snaps in defeat. She knew she would never get her point across with those two arguing with her.

"Alright, now that's settled we can focus on Harry and Ron." Sirius grins. "Anyone have any suggestions?"


	18. An Unexpected Requested

Chapter 18 An Unexpected Request

Despite being up so long, Alex didn't sleep past ten that morning. Severus was already gone when she woke up and she felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointed. She wasn't certain how she should feel. He would be furious if he found out he'd slept with someone who had just made an alliance with his enemy. She shouldn't have done that. Shouldn't have let him do it. It had been a mistake…hadn't it? She wasn't sure.

She took her time getting dressed and made her way downstairs. Breakfast would already be over, but out of habit she went straight to the dining room. It was empty. She sat down in her usual chair and laid her head down on the table, letting her mind drift off. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there when a familiar voice startled her.

"Are you satisfied?" The voice snaps, sounding angry and bitter.

Alex jumps out of her seat and quickly turns to face the intruder, drawing her wand as her heart began to race. Cole.

"What are you doing here? Severus sent you away!" She asks accusingly, trying to mask her fear.

"I bet you don't even know how to use that," He challenges with a smirk.

Alex points the wand at his chest. "I would win that bet," She snarls, a sort of venom in her voice that reminded her of Severus.

"Prove it," Cole dares haughtily, drawing his own wand.

"Get away from her!" Caleb yells, emerging from the door that led to the kitchen. He held a sharp knife in his hand, pointing it at Cole.

"Who are you to tell me what to do, you filthy little muggle?" Cole spits, taking advantage of Alex's sudden distraction by sending a disarming spell at her, knocking her wand from her hand.

Ignoring Caleb, Cole shoves her back against the table just as Severus enters the room. Caleb throws the knife at the same time that Severus sent a hex at Cole. Alex quickly moved out of the way grabbing her wand and backing up against a wall.

Cole casts a shield charm to protect himself. It blocks the curse, but the knife goes straight through it and into Cole's shoulder. He curses, pulling it out and tossing it onto the table. Severus immediately moves towards Cole, backing him up against the table with his wand pressed to Cole's throat.

"I have a message from the Dark Lord!" Cole shouts, stopping Severus in his tracks.

"What's the message?" Severus demands.

"He wants to meet with you as soon as possible." Cole sneers, "Now, I would appreciate it if you would let me go."

"Get out of my house." Severus demands menacingly, lowering his wand and backing away just enough for Cole o squeeze past him. "Before I change my mind."

Cole moves to leave, but stops at the door and turns back towards Alex as though he wanted to say something else.

"Leave!" Severus snarls dangerously, refusing to allow him another word.

Cole storms out, slamming the door behind him. Severus turns his attention to Caleb, studying him curiously. Caleb raises his chin at him defiantly.

"You did well," Severus tells him.

Caleb glares at him, and Severus sighs.

"Allow me to call a truce," Severus requests. "You and Miss Natalie shall join me for dinner tomorrow evening, and in addition to that, Alex can take you both out shopping for anything you need…or desire."

Alex's eyes widen in shock. Severus raises an eyebrow at her.

"Will you accept my invitation?" Severus asks Caleb when he doesn't reply.

Caleb studies Severus suspiciously for a moment before answering, "Give Nat her dog back first."

"I do not have that authority. The dog belongs to Alex." Severus answers uneasily.

"Tell Nat she can have Angel." Alex agrees instantly.

Severus sends her an appreciative look as Caleb nods.

"Alright, we'll come."

"For now, I must request that you go about your usual duties. I'd like to speak with Alex alone." Severus requests.

Caleb turns to Alex with a questioning look.

"I'll be fine," She assures him.

"Alright, I'll see you later, A.J." He agrees, turning around and heading off to look for Nat.

"He really trusts me," Severus mutters sarcastically.

"You haven't given him a reason to," Alex points out daringly.

Severus starts to reply, but thinks better of it. He didn't want to start an argument with her right now. Not when he'd made so much progress with her.

"Was there something you needed?" Alex asks tiredly.

"I would like you to join me for dinner tonight…and perhaps a walk along the beach." He answers quickly, as though he were nervous about it.

"In the carriage?" Alex frowns, "That would take more than an hour. It goes too slow."

"I can apparate," He replies.

"You can what?"

"Apparate. It's like teleporting." He explains, "Will you join me?"

"Do I have a choice?" She questions.

"I am under the impression that having a date with you would be pointless unless you were there by your own desire to be." He answers uneasily.

"A date?" She repeats in surprise, "Isn't that what you do before you get married?"

"Are we married?" He challenges.

"You claim we are," She returns.

"You are…rejecting my invitation?" He asks, attempting to sound calm, but obviously hurt by the thought and unsure of himself.

She studies him without answering, trying to figure out what his motives are…what he wanted from her.

"Please don't sleep with me and pretend it didn't mean anything to you…unless it truly didn't?" He adds self consciously. "Was I…displeasing…to you?"

Alex shakes her head no. "You were amazing. You're beautiful." She replies softly, making her decision. His sudden insecurity, made her want to hold him. Even if it had been a mistake, it wasn't one that she could regret.

She moves towards him and wraps her arms around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I would be honored to be your date."

He smirks, gripping her waist. He kisses her forehead, but then pushes her away, his defenses back up. "Good. I will see you at seven this evening."

Alex frowns at his sudden detached reaction as he turns around and heads for the door.

He pauses and turns back to her. She meets his gaze, hoping for some sign that she hadn't just made a mistake by agreeing to date him.

"You need not fear him, Alex." He tells her, referring to Cole. "He won't hurt you again."


	19. Punished

Chapter 19 Punished

Severus curses. He really didn't want to speak to the Dark Lord at the moment. He already had enough on his mind, with worrying about whether Alex would change her mind about tonight. He'd wanted to lift her up and take her again right there in the dining room, but he wanted more to do things right. He didn't want her to think he only wanted her for sex.

But he'd had no choice. When the Dark Lord summoned, the consequences of refusing to answer would be more than those of answering them.

He quickly composes himself and apparates to what was left of Hogwarts. He strides swiftly and purposefully up to the door and to the Great Hall before pausing to look around. Cole was lurking in the in a corner.

"Tell the Dark Lord that I have arrived." Severus demands.

Cole stares at him with a wicked grin on his face.

"Quickly, you fool! I don't have all day!" Severus snaps impatiently.

Cole turns away from him and exaggeratedly takes his time going up the staircase, disappearing around a corner as Severus rolls his eyes and starts pacing.

Almost nothing had changed about the school, other than its occupants. It was all so familiar to him. So appealing. He would love to have the chance to show Alex how it used to be. The magic had been so much more…beautiful back then. She would have loved that world…The world he had helped destroy…

He wipes the traitorous thoughts from his mind as Cole reappears on the stairs.

"He will see you immediately," Cole smirks.

Severus nods curtly and makes his way up the staircase and down the hall that led to what was now the Dark Lord's study. He bows humbly before the Dark Lord, careful to keep his mind clear.

"I am here at your request, Master." Severus says respectfully, keeping his gaze lowered.

"I have heard from Bellatrix Lestrange that your wife may be in contact with the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix." The Dark Lord informs him instantly.

"With all do respect, my Lord, Mrs. Lestrange has been misinformed. My wife has only just discovered that she is a witch, and I have trained her well. She is your humble servant. She doesn't even know you have enemies. I rarely let her out of my sight, and when I do Aretimis is with her. She could not possibly have had the opportunity to betray you." Severus objects respectfully, putting up shields around his mind as he met the Dark Lord's gaze.

"Aretimis is too soft hearted. She could have corrupted him into joining the Order as well." The Dark Lord suggests accusingly.

"My Lord, I do not think-"

"I know what you think!" The Dark Lord interrupts him furiously. "Do you know what I think? I think we need to give you a little taste of what happens to traitors."

The Dark Lord aims his wand at Severus and hisses, "Crucio!"

Severus falls to his knees, grunting as a severe pain shot through his body. After a few seconds the Dark Lord jerks his wand up, releasing him from the curse. Severus slowly, weakly raises his head to meet the Dark Lord's gaze.

The Dark Lord approaches him, a look of viciousness on his face.

"Give me your wand, Severus" He demands quietly.

Severus obeys, showing no fear or hesitancy.

"Cole! Get in here!" The Dark Lord yells.

Cole appears at the door so quickly that Severus had no doubt that he had been listening.

"Do what you wish with him. He's your for the next ten hours. Just don't kill him." The Dark Lord offers as though he were giving a child a treat.

"Thank you my Lord!" Cole replies, repeatedly bowing towards him before taking his wand and levitating Severus out of the room.

Cole proceeded to torture Severus in every way he could imagine, magically, mentally, and physically. He even went so far as to describe in detail exactly what he was going to do to Alex the next time he got his hands on her.

Severus just barely got out alive. The Dark Lord had to force Cole to cease. Severus could barely keep himself from blacking out as he made his way home. He had just opened the door when the darkness that had been threatening to overtake him for the past few hours finally won over. He collapsed in the entrance hall, sending his final thought out as a plea to whoever was listening that Alex would forgive him for standing her up on their first real date.


	20. Camille Again

Chapter 20 Camille Again

Aretimis had been patrolling the first floor when he heard someone stumble into the entrance hall. He rushes into the area, casting the light from his wand around the room, pausing on the open door and the pile of black lying just on the inside of it. He cautiously moves towards it, reaching it just as it shifts and lets out a low, pained moan.

He gasps as he recognizes Severus. He bends down and quickly checks his pulse, trying to assess how badly he was hurt before hurrying away to wake Alex.

* * *

"What do I do, Aretimis? I don't know any major healing spells. Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be doing something to help him?" Alex objects, fighting to stay in control of her fear as she knelt down next to Severus, brushing his hair out of his face.

"As his wife, you are the Lady of the house in his absence or incapacitation. I need your consent or the Dark Lord would be…displeased with me. With all due respect, might I advise you to send me after the mediwitch?" He suggests, choosing his words carefully.

"Camille?" Alex asks, raising her eyebrows at him and trying not to show her jealousy.

He smirks in amusement. "You're a lot like him…you're jealous of her? As he is of Caleb. I can assure you that have as little to be jealous of as he does, and anyways the choice is yours, not mine."

"I'm not jealous! She snaps in annoyance.

"That's what he says," Aretimis laughs.

Alex gaps at him for a moment before snapping her mouth shut. "Bring Camille." She demands, trying to sounds as authoritative as Severus would have.

Aretimis nods and heads out the door, leaving Alex with Severus.

She takes a deep breath and aims her wand at him, closing her eyes and hoping she'd had enough practice to avoid messing up the spells she wanted to use.

"Levicorpus," She murmurs, after a moment she opens her eyes again to assess the damage she'd done. Severus was floating safely in the air, seemingly no more harmed than he was when Aretimis had led her to him.

She carefully floats him up the staircase to their bedroom, and places him as gently as she could on the bed. She had just finished trying to make him as comfortable as she possibly could when Camille came in. Alex turns to face her, but Camille ignores her, waving her wand at Severus and removing his clothes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Alex snarls at her, throwing a blanket over Severus' lower half.

"Calm down," Camille demands, addressing her impatiently, "I just need to see the extent of his injuries."

"Not like that, you don't" Alex snaps at her in Severus' defense.

"Do you want him to die?" Camille asks mercilessly, "Because I can leave him to die without any regrets."

Alex hesitates, uncertain.

"I assure you, Alex, I have no interest in your friend. I don't even know what you see in the bloody deatheater."

"He's more than just my friend." Alex corrects her stubbornly.

"Is that so? He introduced you as his friend…though, I did have a feeling that he had taken more of an interest in you than he confessed to having." Camille answer, trying to use casual conversation to calm her before adding, "Alex, if you don't let me do this, he will die. I can sense the dark magic on him even from this distance. He's hurt badly."

Alex nods in defeat, moving away from him to stand behind Camille next to the couch. "Alright, help him."

"Camille hesitates before making another request. "I think it would be better if you waited outside with Aretimis."

Alex starts to protest, but felt Aretimis' hand on her arm. She meets his gaze and he motions for her to come with him. She reluctantly follows him and he shuts the door behind them.

Only half an hour later they could hear Severus moan loudly. Alex quickly starts for the door, but Aretimis stops her again, blocking her path.

"If he does want her, he will do as he pleases without being disturbed," Aretimis insists calmly, "However, I still strongly doubt that he holds any sort of affection for anyone but you."

She reluctantly sits down against the wall opposite the door and pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head on her knees, trying to ignore the mental images that had risen into her mind's eye.

She looks up a few minutes later when she felt a hand gently touch her back. Caleb and Nat had taken a seat on either side of her.

"Aretimis came and told us what happened," Natalie explains. "He said you probably needed someone to comfort you and nothing he was saying was doing any good."

"You'd think they'd eventually realize they don't know everything," Caleb adds coldly.

Alex nods and lays her head back down onto her knees.

* * *

She slowly blinked open her eyes and quickly jumped to her feet as she realizes she had fallen to sleep. Someone had moved her from the hallway to the couch in Severus' room. The door was open, and she could hear Aretimis and Camille quietly arguing about something. They were standing around the corner, just out of her line of vision. She looks towards the bed and her eyes land on Severus. He was covered by the blanket she had thrown over him earlier, and looked as though he were sleeping.

She moves towards him and lies down in bed next to him, her head resting on his chest. Right at that moment, the sound of his heart beating was the most beautiful thing in the world to her. She sits up and shakes her head, muttering obscenities under her breath. Here she was trying to cuddle up to the arse who had kidnapped her, seduced her, and probably just slept with the mediwitch. What was wrong with her? She laughed bitterly and stood back up. It was the drugs. She hadn't taken them for a while. Severus had helped her overcome that addiction, but this was proof that they had probably permanently altered her ability to reason and think clearly and logically. Maybe she should tell him she had made an alliance with his enemies. He could kill her and put her out of her misery.

She quickly steps back away from the bed as Camille enters the room. "Don't you ever knock?" She snaps irritably.

"Not for deatheaters," Camille retorts.

"I'm not a deatheater," Alex counters, "So tell me, how did you like Severus' skill in bed?" She asks mockingly.

"I wouldn't know," Camille answers, expertly restraining her temper and forcing her voice to sound calm. "Why would someone who isn't a deatheater live in a house full of them and claim to be more than friends with one of the higher up deatheaters?"

"I'm not stupid. I could hear you through the door!" Alex snaps at her.

"If you think I'd go to bed with one of his kind, you might want to double check that intelligence test. What you heard were hi responses to a few of my spells. Some of them are very painful, and I didn't bother with a numbing potion. I don't want to waste my supplies on him when there are innocent people out there being hurt by his kind." Camille replies honestly.

Alex studies her suspiciously for a moment before giving in and letting it go. "I'm a hostage here. There are two others. We're being held against our will. He picked me up off the street and insisted that I take of the position of his wife. Then again, I'm not sure if I would want to be on your government's side, either. If it wasn't for Severus, I would even know I was a witch." She explains.

"Thus your attachment to him," Camille mutters.

Alex glares at her bitterly. Camille glares right back until Alex rolls her eyes and looks back down at Severus.

"Listen," Camille starts again, taking advantage of Alex's silence, "I'm not trying to take him away from you. If my world wasn't being overrun by his kind, I wouldn't even be tending to a deatheater." She hesitates before asking, "Do you care for him…as more than a friend?"

"I believe my recent actions give away the answer to that question," Alex says, avoiding answering the question directly.

"You seem to go back and forth between hating him and being protective of him." Camille points out.

"A captive isn't supposed to love her kidnapper." Alex explains simply.

"You still think of yourself as a captive, but if you had the chance to leave, would you?" Camille pushes.

Alex studies Severus, remembering everything. He was protective of her, and she only ever felt safe when he was holding her…but he had pushed her away after she agreed to date him. Was he simply going through the motions?

He could make her weak just by looking at her a certain way. His voice could go from soft and seductive, to fiery and passionate, to cold and poisonous all in the same five minute time period. He accepted her, despite her past…and she could say that he ever treated her cruelly…

"It's something to think about, isn't it?" Camille says observantly.

"I shouldn't love him," Alex objects.

"You can't choose who you love. That's out of our control. Either you love someone or yo don't, and once you love someone you can't escape it. You will always love them. Even if your life with them falls apart." Camille answers, "The heart does things for reasons that reason cannot understand, and it takes risks that natural logic would try to overrule. Would you have loved him if you had met him under other circumstances?"

Alex thinks back on what she used to be and instantly knows she wouldn't have. She had lost herself. She was too focused on throwing her life away as quickly as she possibly could. If he hadn't pulled her out of that, she would have stayed that way. Emotionless. Already half way dead. He had saved her life.

"There is such a thing as soulmates. Things happen for a reason." Camille says gently. "I believe he is under the impression that you don't care for him as much as he does you. You have a choice to make. This is the eye of the storm. It won't last forever. He will live this time, but who's to say that he could survive another attack like this? If you allow your soul to connect with his, you will both have a better chance of surviving. However, if you do accept him and he does die, you will die will him."

"I'm not afraid of dying." Alex admits. "I'm afraid of having to live like I did before."

"He would never allow that," Camille smiles, "I used to have a daughter about your age. She fell in love with a deatheater as well. The Dark Lord found out and hunted them down…but I had never seen her happier than she had been with him. I begrudgingly admit that not all of them are as heartless as their master. Some of them just need a woman to give them something to live for other than power."

Alex studies her for a moment before offering her a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, Severus should be fine when he wakes up. I have to get back to my granddaughter."

"I'll have Aretimis escort you," Alex agrees, noticing Aretimis standing in the doorway behind Camille. He'd been listening quietly to their conversation, and Alex hadn't noticed him until just then.

"I'd be delighted to," Aretimis agrees as Camille turns to face him. "Come on, mediwitch. Let's give the Snapes some time to themselves."


	21. Old Friends

Chapter 21 Old Friends

Severus was fully healed within the week, but he refused to explain what had happened to him. Alex could tell that the memories of it still bothered him. She could see it in his eyes whenever she caught his gaze, which was turning into a rare occasion. She felt as though he were trying to avoid her. She saw him at breakfast each morning, but never any time after that. He didn't even sleep in their room anymore. If she was going to talk to him, she was going to have to seek him out herself.

She wondered through the halls on her own for a while, but was growing increasingly frustrated. Right when she was starting to think he might have left the house entirely, she caught sight of Aretimis coming out of one of the rooms several feel ahead of her.

"Aretimis!" She called to him, hoping he could help her.

"What can I do for you?" He asks, smiling as he caught sight of her.

"Where's Severus?" She asks, "He hasn't gone somewhere has he?"

Aretimis gives her a knowing look before replying, "No, he's still here. He's just taken to the habit of hiding himself away. Let me show you where he is at the moment."

Alex follows him as he turns around and leads her through a building and out what looked to her like a back door. She was in awe at where she found herself. They were still in the house, but it looked as though they had walked into an enchanted room.

She could see sky up above her, but she could see through the sky to the ceiling of the room. The room was a beautiful garden. A maze of wild growing flowers, bushes, small trees, and vines.

"Just follow the trail and you'll find him. "Aretimis tells her, gently pushing her further into the room.

"Thank you, Aretimis," She replies, offering him a smile.

"My pleasure," He returns, bowing his head at her and backing out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Alex turned back to the garden and moved further along to investigate. It looked almost overrun with plants, but when she got closer she could tell that they were all neatly organized somehow, and they were all pushed to one side of the other, leaving a small path for her to follow. She kept walking, trying to take in everything at once. Before long she caught sight of a dark figure standing not to far ahead, his back to her. He was staring out over a small pond that was covered with some sort of water lilies that she wasn't familiar with. She quietly approached him, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything.

"I understand if you want to leave." He says without turning to face her.

"Why would I want to leave?" She asks in surprise.

Severus turned towards her and looked directly at her for the first time since he woke up. He raises an eyebrow. "Didn't they tell you what I was punished for?"

"Punished?" Alex objects, "Severus, they nearly killed you!"

"Did someone tell you why?' He demands, ignoring her protests.

"No, they didn't. I don't think it matters, either." She answers, holding his gaze.

He stares at her scrutinizingly for a moment before turning away from her.

"The Dark Lord believes you are in an alliance with the enemy. I denied the accusations. He became angry and had objections to my not being controlling or watchful enough of you. He gave me to Cole for punishment. To teach me a lesson. Cole couldn't pass up that opportunity to get revenge." Severus explains slowly.

"This is my fault?" she asks, upset. "You were nearly killed because of me?"

"No!" He objects quickly, turning back to face her and taking a couple of steps towards her. "I made my choice. I chose to speak in your defense and as for nearly being killed…" He pauses, unable to hold her gaze. She just barely caught sight of a pin filled expression on his face before he wiped it off. "Don't you know that I would die for you?"

The words hit her in the stomach, leaving her breathless. She hesitantly moved towards him, cupping his cheek so that he would look at her.

"It wouldn't do any good. I'd miss you too much." She answers, "I was so afraid that you wouldn't wake up…"

"You don't understand," He snaps, pushing her away, "You're in danger here. I can't protect you anymore. If he wants you, he'll come after you. Your best option would be to leave."

Alex shakes her head, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. "At the moment my best option is to stay with you."

"He'll kill you," Severus insists.

"I'm not afraid of dying. It was even welcomed once, and I'd only have one regret." She returns, studying him.

"What might that be?" He questions silkily, keeping his expression calm and neutral despite the fact that he suddenly wanted to throw her on the ground and claim her for himself.

"That I was never able to have that date with you." She whispers in his ear, pressing her body against his.

He tangles his fingers in her hair and captures her mouth in a searing kiss, holding her to him. His kiss was deep and possessive. Demanding. And she could feel his arousal grow as he pressed against her. She wraps her arms around his shoulders as he picks her off her feet and lays her on the floor. He stills, burying his face in her neck.

"Severus…?" she questions hesitantly.

He moves so that he could meet her gaze, struggling to control himself, before replying, "Allow me to prevent you from having that regret?"

"Are you asking me out again?" She teases lightly.

"You're lucky that's all I'm doing. I'm in the right mind to take you here in the garden." He murmurs, his low, seductive tone making her pulse race.

"Why don't you?" She counters, desperate to feel him against her again.

"Are you offering?" He asks, running his fingers down the side of her face down to her breast.

"What do you think?" She returns, kissing the corner of his mouth.

He captures her mouth again, his lips soft against his as he pulls her shirt up over her head. He takes her hand and holds her gaze as he guides is down his chest and over his erection, which was pressing hard against the confines of his pants. She squeezes him and starts rubbing against him.

"Do you have any idea of what you do to me?" He moans in arousal.

"Why don't you show me?" She teases.

He quickly pushes her shirt over her head and clumsily unfastens her bra. She smiles in amusement at his lack of experience, but her amusement quickly turns into a moan as he captures her nipple between his teeth, teasing it with his tongue and making it hard and sensitive before turning his attention to her other one. He snickers lightly as she struggles with the buttons on his robes, before grabbing his wand and magically undresses them. She gasps in surprise as his arousal falls against her center, but quickly recovers, running her hands down his chest and teasing his nipples with her thumbs.

He starts to toss his wand to the side, but freezes as he hears the door to the garden room open and Aretimis' voice objecting loudly at someone else's intrusion. A pained looked briefly enters his eyes as Alex pushes him away, quickly trying to cover herself with her arms and legs.

The look of hurt quickly changes into one of anger as he catches sight of Lucius emerging from around the corner. Lucius and Aretimis stop dead in their tracks as they catch sight of Severus and Alex sitting naked on the ground.

"Forgive me, my lord, but Lucius-" Aretimis starts, but the other man cuts him off.

"Having fun with your mudblood whore, Snape? Care to share your plaything with me? I could use a nice shag." He sneers.

"I don't share my toys," Severus returns sharply, glancing at Alex.

Alex lowered her head, using her hair to hide the tears. His cold words stung. Especially considering the position they had been in a moment ago. For a split second, she'd been naïve enough to think that he might love her. But that was foolishness. Men didn't have the capacity to love. The only thing they had the capacity for was to screw around, break hearts, and make women's lives more difficult than they already were. She quickly stood up and made a run for the door, avoiding the gazes of the three men. He was just using her. She should have known better.

"Alex," Severus starts, trying to stop her. He could almost hear the words running through her head. But she had already disappeared by the time he could even stand up. He grabs his wand and magically redresses himself before turning to Aretimis. "Go after her."

"If you lay a hand on her, I'll cut it off." Severus threatens as Aretimis turns to leave.

Aretimis rolls his eyes and ignores that last threat. He had no interest in stealing Severus' woman. As a matter of fact, he intended to ensure that Severus hadn't just lost his woman.

"What do you want?" Severus snarls, turning back to Lucius as Aretimis disappeared after Alex.

"I need to discuss something with you in private. Something important," Lucius answers.

Severus casts a muffliato charm over the area before motioning for Lucius to continue.

"I have reason to believe that the Order of the Phoenix is gathering strength and preparing for another attack against the Dark Lord." Lucius tells him. "I also have reason to believe that your witch has formed an alliance with them."

"What reason?" Severus sneers defensively.

Lucius hesitated, studying Severus' expression cautiously before admitting, "I'm one of them."

"I could get you killed for that little confession. All I would have to do is show my memories to the Dark Lord." Severus points out.

"I don't think you will," Lucius counters.

"Why shouldn't I?" Severus demands, "It would be an easy way to get revenge for that stunt you just pulled with _my _witch."

"You mean besides the fact that you and I have been friends for a very long time? I could give my memories to the Dark Lord just as easily. Memories of your witch forming an alliance with the Order. If you turn me in, I turn her in." Lucius answers.

"Why are you telling me this?" Severus asks, pushing for his motives and careful to keep his expression neutral.

"I'm not satisfied with the Dark Lord's treatment of my family. And I don't think you're pleased with him for letting Cole torture and nearly kill you. I think we would both be better off living under the Order's rule. And we've been friends for a very long time. I don't want to make you my enemy. I don't want to have to fight or kill you, but I will if necessary. I don't think you want to have to kill Alex either. If you don't join us, you will be her enemy." Lucius explains, "The Order has given Alex one of Black's old mirrors. They have the matching one. They have informed me that Alex has insisted that they give you more time to change your mind. They will hear you out if you go to them. It's not too late to switch sides. Consider it."

Before Severus could reply, Lucius turned on his heal and strode out of the garden, tense at the feeling of Severus's glare on his back.


	22. First Date

Chapter 22 First Date

"Are you alright?" Aretimis asks gently, sitting down next to Alex on the library sofa.

"No, I'm waking up from a dream that I never should have had," She snaps at him defensively. She was angry at herself for letting her guard down. For wanting a deatheater.

"Are you mad at him?' He questions quietly, "Or are you mad at yourself for falling in love with him?"

"He's a deatheater, Aretimis." She sighs, "You're all deatheaters. I can't side with you. I may have been a drug addicted prostitute, but that doesn't mean I don't know right from wrong."

"Sometimes right and wrong are aren't too different." Aretimis insists, "Severus cares for you."

"That's a laugh," Alex throws at him in disbelief.

"He didn't mean what he said. Lucius is a deatheater as well. One that's fairly close to the Dark Lord. If Lucius told the Dark Lord how affection Severus was towards you, both you and Severus would be in more trouble than you already are. He was protecting you." Aretimis attempts to explain, "He was tortured for protecting you. He loves you. How can you not see that?"

"He's a deatheater!" Alex pushes forcefully. "He won't switch sides. He's the enemy. And so are you."

"Don't say that!" Aretimis snaps, "I haven't seen or heard him cast an unforgiveable for weeks now. He defied the Dark Lord in your defense and was nearly killed for it. Be patient with him. He will come to his senses. I'm living proof that you can make a man more loyal to you than to any Dark Lord."

Her eyes widen in surprise as she studies him, trying to see whether he was being honest with her. "Go to the Order then. You don't have to fight for this side. You-"

"No," He objects, cutting her off, "They'd kill be before even hearing me out. Besides, I have to stay here and make sure you don't give up on my dear friend."

"You really think there's hope for him?" She asks, uncertain.

"If a friendship can change me, love can bring Severus to his senses. Now go put on something nice. Preferably black, tight fitting, and easy to get off when you fall into bed with him after your date." Aretimis urges.

"Who said I was planning on sleeping with him after what happened in the garden?" Alex asks defensively.

"Can resist?" Aretimis counters teasingly.

Alex laughs softly and shakes her head.

* * *

"You're beautiful," Severus murmurs, letting his gaze run down Alex's body as she walks down the stairs.

"Thank you," She replies nervously, taking the arm he held out to her.

"I'm a bit surprised you still want to have dinner with me. You seemed upset earlier." Severus says. "You have every right to be."

"I was persuaded." Alex replies simply.

"Aretimis?" He questions.

"Yes…it was." She answers hesitantly, still uncertain of how she should feel about Severus.

"He spoke with me in regards to what happened as well. He seems to be under the impression that you are more fond of me than you let on." He replies, a bit of amusement playing on his face as he remembers the conversation they'd had.

"You don't believe him?" She asks curiously.

"Give me a reason to," He counters with one of her favorite retorts.

She studies him for a moment but then shakes her head, "I'm too hungry to reason."

Severus nods and leads her out of the building, stopping a few feet away. He pulls her into him more tightly than he would have anyone else, and apparates.

After recovering from the horrible sensation that apparating had given her, Alex studies her surrounding in surprise. There was a small table not to far from the beach. She could see the ocean from where they were. They're food was already son the table, which was lit by three strange balls of light floating above their heads.

"I didn't know you could be so romantic, Severus," Alex says, cautiously teasing him.

He studies her for a moment before replying, "It's quite obvious that there is a lot that you don't know about me."

He pulls out her seat for her, and she sits down, waiting for him to take the seat across from her.

"I know that you're a deatheater, your thirty-six years old, your favorite color is black, you're manipulative, possessive, and demanding, and your kiss makes me weak." She answers, with a smile.

He laughs softly, "There's more to me than that. I'm certain that I still have a lot to learn about you as well."

"Then let me get to know you," She requests softly.

He nods, meeting her gaze, "What would you like to know?"

"Why did you become a deatheater?" She questions hesitantly.

He goes silent for a while, playing with the food on his plate.

"I was…in a situation similar to yours. I had no one else to turn to. Lucius Malfoy…the man who walked in on us…in the garden, took me under his wing. I became friends with his crowd. When they became deatheaters, it was either I join them or lose the only real family I'd ever known. I won't deny that the promise of power and respect also appealed to me."

"Now you have me," She offers nervously, "If you still want me?"

"You don't trust me," He points out.

"I merely question how much you have in common with the men who have used me. There is a fine line between light and dark. I stepped over it a few times, but never far enough to follow someone like your Dark Lord. Never enough to do the things your men have done…the things you've done." She answers, choosing her words carefully.

"You truly do support the Order, don't you?" He asks, finally accepting the truth.

"If I tell you that, you'd have to kill me." She counters softly.

He studies her for a moment before replying honestly. "I…would have to…yes, but I don't think I would be able to. You haven't the slightest idea about the hold you have over me. I want to make you happy. I want to give you the life you deserve and show you our world. Losing the opportunity to do that would be devastating."

Alex meets his gaze in surprise, unsure of how to reply.

"I don't know what to say." She answers finally.

He takes out his wand and flicks it upwards before standing up and offering her his hand. "Say you'll dance with me." He requests with a small smirk as slow piano music filled the air.

She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet, pressing his body against hers. Alex rested her head on his shoulder

"I owe you this from your ball." He murmurs after a moment.

She looks up at him, meeting his gaze with a smile as he ran a hand down the side of her body. He lowers his head and presses his lips against hers.

"Severus?" She murmurs, pulling back to meet his gaze.

He raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"Take me to bed,"


	23. Only you

Chapter 23 Only You

Severus pulled Alex tightly against him and apparated them back to his residence, leaving their food barely touched. There was a frantic pulling of clothing as they struggled to rid themselves of it all and simultaneously stumble up the staircase. There was a black cloak at the bottom of the stairs, and two pairs a shoes a little further up. Then there were Severus' robes. Alex was suddenly glad that she had taken Aretimis' advice and worn a little black dress. It aroused her to no end when Severus took the edge of it and pulled it up around her waist.

They fell for a moment, touching bare skin and kissing desperately. Severus finally broke away to pull her dress up over her head before helping her to her feet and urging her to continue on to their room. Alex moved quickly up the stairs with Severus following close behind. They didn't make it far before he gave in to the urge to tug at her knickers, letting them fall to the top step.

Alex turned to smirk at him and he pulled her against him again, his arousal straining against the confines of is pants, the only clothing that still stood between them. Alex rubbed the palm of her hand against him and he let out a low growl, pushing her backwards down the hallway and shoving her back against the wall. His lips found her and he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, begging entrance. She parted her lips for him and he captured her mouth in a deep kiss, his tongue sparring with hers. She gasps softly as his fingers found her heat, gently pulling and teasing at her before he slipped a finger into her. She was slick with desire. For him. She pressed herself against his hand, but he pulled away.

"Not here. Bed," He groans as she unfastens his pants and slips her hand inside to rub against him.

She nods and he takes her wrist, pulling her down the hall to their room. He takes his wand out of his pocket and wards the door behind him.

"I swear to Merlin I'll kill anyone who has the nerve to interrupt us this time," Severus mutters, letting his wand fall to the couch and shoving her back onto the bed.

She laughs softly, but it quickly turns into a gasp as Severus pushes her legs apart, trailing kissing up her inner thigh to her center. He brushes his nose against her before nipping at her and teasing her with his tongue. Her scent was overwhelming, fuelling his desire for her as though he were being set on fire by it. He ran his tongue along her entrance before pushing it inside of her, tasting her. Her eyes close and she tangles her fingers in his hair, breathing heavily. She whimpers, feeling pleasure building up inside of her. Severus bit and sucked at her as she writhed beneath his touch. The thought that he was about to bring her to an orgasm was enough to send a shock of pleasure straight to his groin, making him ach for her. He ran his tongue along her slit again as he carefully untangled her hand from him hair. He wasn't ready for her to climax yet. He wanted to be inside of her when she did. He wanted to feel it. He stood up, pushing his pants the rest of the off and left them lying on the floor as he draped himself over her, meeting her gaze. He pressed his cock against her heat and cupped her breast, brushing his thumb over her nipple as he struggled to control his breathing. He would never last long if he didn't reign himself in a little.

Alex slips her hand between them and wraps her fingers around him, pulling her hand down the length of his hard shaft. After a moment she lets him go and a wave of disappointment rushes over him as she pushes him away. He moves to sit on the bed next to her.

"Alex?" He frowns, forcing a mask over his face to hide the sudden feeling of rejection.

He felt a little confused as she straddled his lap, running small kisses down his face and onto his mouth. She let her hands slide down his chest and pressed her body against his. He lowered himself onto his back, pulling her down with him and lifting his hips to rub his erection against her heat, barely daring to hope that she still wanted him.

She pushed his arms off of her and slid down his body, taking one of his nipples between her teeth and teasing it with her tongue before switching to his other one. He props himself up on his elbows, watching her as she continues pressing kisses across his chest and down his stomach. She kissed a trail down to his hipbones and his heart raced as she repositioned herself between his legs, nuzzling his balls before taking one into her mouth and sucking hard. A gasp escaped past his lips and she moved up to his cock, slowly taking him into her mouth. His hips jerked against her as she teased him with her tongue and started moving her mouth up and down along his erection.

"Fuck," He gasps as pleasure shoots through him. He grabs her hair and starts thrusting up into her mouth, losing control. A part of him expected her to stop him, but instead she took his balls in her hand, massaging them as she sucked hard on his length. He felt his orgasm build up and knew he'd climax this way if he didn't take her soon. He thrust up into her mouth one last time before pulling her up underneath him and plunging his cock into her heat, thrusting into her with fervor.

"Severus," She moans, wrapping her legs around him as he pounded into her uncontrollably.

"Mine," He growled. He pressed down against her as he continued to thrust up into her, his chest rubbing against hers and causing more friction between them as they both neared their climax.

She let out a soft moan as the room spun around them, losing herself in him and letting the heat and pleasure consume her.

Feeling her inner muscles contract around him sent him over the edge. He shoved up into her hard as he came with her, his eyes rolling back. He nearly collapsed against her, but managed to roll over onto his back, taking her with him. She rested on his chest, listening to his heart thud as they struggled to catch their breath.

"Alex?" He says softly, his voice still husky but smoother than it had been a few moments ago.

She moaned against him and shifted, pressing a kiss to his chest before moving to lie on the bed next to him. He rolled onto his side and met her gaze, studying her for a moment before wrapping his arm around her possessively.

"I thought you were going to leave me like that," He admits.

"Hasn't anyone ever touched you like that before?" Alex questions, getting comfortable against his chest.

"What you did with your mouth? Never…." He answers honestly. "You were incredible. And you will never do that for anyone else."

She laughs softly. "Want me for yourself?"

"All of you…but particularly that, you will never put your mouth on anyone else the way you did for me tonight." He demands, kissing the side of her mouth.

"Only you," She promises, pressing a kiss to his throat.


	24. Only in His Dreams

Chapter 24 Only in His dreams

Severus was once again surrounded by darkness and fog. He remembered this place and wondered what he'd done wrong this time.

"Byron?" He questions, his voice echoing against the darkness.

A wave of thick fog came over him. When it cleared there was a mirror image of himself in the passionate embrace of Alex. He watched as a knife appeared in his double's hand, and he stabbed Alex in the back.

"No!" He snarled, turning away. "I didn't! I wouldn't!"

"You will," Byron answer, appearing in front of him, "If you don't prevent it."

"How?" Severus demands.

"You know how." Byron retorts as he starts to pace in a curve in front of him.

"I can't do that!" Severus objects.

"Why not?" Byron questions calmly, still pacing.

"Because…" Severus starts, but breaks off, unable to come up with an answer.

"You don't have a reason, do you?" Byron points out, "How far would you go to save the only woman we've ever truly loved…the only one we ever will?"

"How do you know I'll never love anyone else?" Severus questions defensively.

"Can't you feel it?" Byron replies, "Severus…we are connected to her. Spirit, heart, mind…and body. She's our soul mate."

Severus turns away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"If you deny what you feel, you will lose her. If you lose her, it is highly unlikely that she will survive this war. She's new to our ways. She's no match on her own. You know that the Dark Lord will kill her without hesitation…and even if she does survive, she'll probably wish she hadn't. She won't have anything left. She'll go back to what she was before. She'll lose herself again. She needs you, whether she realizes it or not. She loves you, and she needs you. And her fate is in your hands. You can accept what I tell you and give her the chance to be happy. You can deny it, and end up back where we started from, or you can run from the situation like a coward and let her die." Byron explains calmly.

"If she is my soul mate…if I die, so will she." Severus points out.

"You know how to prevent that. There's a potion." Byron returns, "Besides that, you don't know for certain that you're going to die.

"You think I could survive betraying the Dark Lord?" Severus demands.

"We don't know what the future holds. We only know what is in the present. Those are our choices now." Byron answers.

"Black's mirror…" Severus murmurs, "Black would never hear me out."

"Offer to make the unbreakable vow. Address the Granger girl, and keep her focus on Alex." Byron instructs.

The fog rolls back over Severus and a new image appears before him Alex was wearing a beautiful white wedding dress with silver trim. She was holding on to his arm with one hand and held a bouquet of flowers in the other. They were laughing. They were happy. He knew in his heart that the two images had just been wed. Severus watches as the image of himself lifts her up and twirls her around. Putting her back down, he pulls her against him and captures her mouth in a deep kiss.

Severus closes his eyes and attempts to imagine the feel of her lips on his. Trying to imagine their wedding day…the wedding night.

It was no use. This…heaven…could only exist in his dreams.

* * *

The next morning Severus woke up lying in Alex's arms. The next thought that registered to him woke his half asleep mind with a jolt. They were naked…and he was aroused. Scenes from the night before flashed into his mind. Stumbling up the stairs while attempting to rid themselves of the barrier of clothing between them…collapsing in a passionate embrace on the bed and the pure pleasure that erupted between them afterwards.

He moans as he slowly untangles himself from her arms and legs. He has no doubt that she was going to hate him for letting her wake up nude in his bed…for losing control to such an extent. He wanted to get ahead while he still had the chance. Breakfast in bed would be a nice start.

He quickly gets dressed and goes downstairs to request that something be prepared for her, and made a point of insisting that he carry it back to his bedroom himself. There was no reason to give anyone any other clues about what had happened last night. It wasn't anyone else's business, and even if it was he was certain that the clothes trailing up the staircase was evidence enough. He wanted the rest to be left up to their imaginations.

As he reentered his private chambers he caught sight of her sitting up in bed, the blankets around her waist. She quickly covered herself before meeting his gaze.

"Is…mine downstairs?" She questions hesitantly, unsure of how to greet him.

He glances down at the food before replying, "Actually, this is yours. I thought you might like to have breakfast in bed this morning."

"Thank you," She replies slowly, lowering her gaze to the bed. "Did…did we…?"

Severus raises his eyebrows. "You don't remember?" He demands.

"Confirmation," She corrects him.

"Did we shag? Yes, we did, Alex." He replies roughly, hiding his emotions, "If I recall correctly, you asked for it."

When she doesn't reply he continues, a mixture of disappointment and fear flashing briefly on his face. "Do you regret it?"

"No," She answers instantly, getting up off the bed.

Severus' breath catches in his chest as the blanket falls to the floor. He lets his gaze falls over her before returning his eyes to hers.

"Actually…I think we should do it again soon." She murmurs seductively.

"That can be arranged." He returns with a smirk. After a moment he adds, "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"I'm also hungry," She returns playfully, moving towards him and taking the tray from him.

She turns to head back to bed, but he slips his arm around her waist and pulls her back against him. She turns around, sitting the tray on the dresser behind him. She watches as he studies her, attempting to read her thoughts without using ligillimens.

"I'll never regret it, Severus. How could I regret being truly happy for the first time in years?" She tries to assure him, "I loved every second of it…and I love you. You're mine."

He smirks again and pulls her into s tight embrace, placing a light kiss on her shoulder.

"I should go downstairs and get my own breakfast there, love." He sighs, pulling away. "I need to keep up appearances."

"I'll be down in a while for my magic lessons with Aretimis." She agrees.

"I'll tell him you'll be late." Severus replies, turning away and leaving the room, his cloak billowing behind him.


End file.
